General Benjamin Lincoln House - History of The House

History of The House

Like many early American houses, the Benjamin Lincoln House has gone through a number of phases, and the dates of work on the house are at times uncertain. Family history places the initial construction of part of the house as early as 1637, by Thomas Lincoln "the cooper" (so designated to differentiate him from numerous other Thomas Lincolns who also settled in Hingham), although there is no visible architectural evidence to support this assertion. What is certain is that circa 1715 the house acquired an L-shaped appearance, and was expanded by General Lincoln in the late 18th century to its present configuration. A porch that was added in the late 19th century was removed in 1937, and represents the only significant alteration to the house since General Lincoln's time.

In 2009 Lincoln family descendants negotiated a preservation restriction agreement with Historic New England, a regional historic preservation society, to protect the interior and exterior character of the house. Exterior changes to the property are also restricted by the house's presence as a contributing property to Hingham's Lincoln Historic District.