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THE OLD ORDINARY
As welcoming today as it was when it was a destination for
hungry travelers and townspeople of Hingham, the Old Ordinary is a
stirring reminder of the way life used to be when this place was a
village and most of the land was farmed. Now surrounded by graceful
old homes on a street hard by the town's vital business center, this
17th-century building that began as a home and eventually became a
tavern serving ordinary fare and warming drink to its customers
currently is a house museum owned and operated by the Hingham
Historical Society.
A charming colonial structure sided with weathered clapboards
and enhanced by a colorful period garden, designed by Frederick
Law Olmstead Jr., the museum is filled with furniture and
samplers, dishes and toys that once belonged to the town's
oldest families. To enter this building is to step back
in time, to an era of simple ways and pleasures, when a Daniel
Webster might stop by to have a mug of his favorite drink, on the
way from his rural home in Marshfield to the bustling streets of
Boston, there to practice law and further his political career.  From
the tap room, where Webster or, earlier, Revolutionary War General
Benjamin Lincoln, might have been found smoking a pipe with friends,
one can move on to the dining room furnished with - among other
precious antique items - Chippendale chairs, a few of which came
from the estate of Francis Barker, who owned the house at the time
of the Revolution. A kitchen outfitted with utensils and tools
centuries old gives some insight into how our ancestors kept house.
Upstairs, one can visit a bedchamber that is decorated with
beautiful hangings made of material appropriate to the mid-1700s.
This fabric was acquired by the Society only after a considerable
search.
Having belonged to many owners over the years, the Old Ordinary
has grown from being a one room house, meaning one ground-floor
room, one room above and an attic, to a 14-room structure,
including an 18th-century parlor, a Federal-style dining room
and a small library. The major additions were made in 1740 and
1760. A later expansion comprised special exhibition spaces.
Even now, the Old Ordinary is a work in progress, as more
donations are received, and restoration continues to its ancient
rooms. Open in the warm weather months, during which special
exhibitions are displayed, it is the starting point for the
Society's biggest fundraiser, the annual house tour of Hingham's
old houses, along with such town treasures as Old Ship
Meetinghouse, the oldest church of continuous worship in the
United States, and Old Derby Academy, the 19th-century,
Federal-style structure, which was the site of one of the oldest
co-educational schools in the country and the headquarters today
of the Hingham Historical Society. Old Derby, as well, generates
income for the Society through rentals for special occasions.
  
This year, the Old Ordinary will be open from early June through
eartly September, Tuesday through Saturday, 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Admission: adults, $5; children, $3. After Labor Day, the museum
will be open by appointment. The Old Ordinary is located
at 21 Lincoln Street (781-749-0013). |
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