Hingham to Celebrate Lincoln Day

The Hingham Historical Society invites South Shore families to attend the 37th annual Lincoln Day celebration on Saturday, February 2, 2013 beginning at 11:00 a.m. at the historic Old Ship Church, 90 Main Street in Hingham Square.

Free and open to the public, Lincoln Day celebrates the legacy of Hingham's Revolutionary War hero, General Benjamin Lincoln, and President Abraham Lincoln, whose ancestors first settled in Hingham in 1637. The keynote speaker for Lincoln Day this year is Michael Puzo, Hingham's new Town Moderator.

"Lincoln Day is a tribute to the spirit of community that both Abraham and Benjamin inherited from their Hingham forefathers," notes event chair Bill Salisbury, “both of these great men sacrificed greatly for the preservation of nation and community. They stood on the shoulders of their Hingham ancestors, farmers, tradesmen and laborers whose daily service to their community was taken for granted in Colonial New England.”

Every able-bodied freeman was expected to do more than simply earn their daily bread. Regardless of their level of education and social status, these men served as a constables and justices of the peace, volunteer firefighters and delegates to the general court, and in a variety of other offices. Their belief in their civic duty helped build and cement the social fabric of Hingham and eventually the nation.

Lincoln Day celebrates the community-building efforts of everyone who has contributed to the "general welfare." The celebration features a color guard from the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company, and re-enactors from the Massachusetts 22nd and 54th volunteer infantries, as well as representatives of the Society of the Cincinnati, the Military Order of the Loyal Legion, and the military wing of the Sons of the American Revolution.

The principal celebration begins at 11 a.m. at Hingham's historic Old Ship Church, 90 Main Street.

Early birds are welcome to gather at 10:15 a.m. at the nearby Bell Tower to watch as the Hingham Militia and other military orders fire a salute toward Benjamin Lincoln's tomb in the Hingham Cemetery. Inside the church, the official ceremony features familiar patriotic songs accompanied by organist Joan Nahigian, and a selection of historic American music provided by Hingham's own Paul Cappers and the Hingham Singers.

After the service, all guests are invited to join a short parade down Hingham's Main Street to Fountain Square to lay a commemorative wreath at the foot of the statue of Abraham Lincoln.

This part of the ceremony takes place just across the street from Benjamin and Abraham Lincoln's ancestral homes. After a display of proper military salutes, all are invited to warm up at a reception at Old Derby Academy, 34 Main Street, where warm beverages and light refreshments will be provided, courtesy of the Hingham Historical Society.

This event is free and open to the public, and is generously supported by the Hingham Institution for Savings, The Military Order of the Loyal Legion, and the Society of Cincinnati. For more information, contact the Hingham Historical Society at 781-749-7721.

-Hingham Historical Society