Politics & Government

Hingham Residents Vote to Create New Heritage Museum

The New Heritage Museum is expected to be completed by the winter of 2014.

The Old Derby Academy building on Main Street will soon have a whole new look just in time to celebrate the Hingham Historical Society’s 100th birthday.

The  Old Derby Academy building’s new additions will include, a pedestrian  staircase in front of the building, , an enlarged visitor center, the installation of an elevator, new visible storage exhibit space, according to HHS project manager Mark Cullings.

The ballroom on the second floor will serve as the Main Exhibition Hall.  The new building will also contain moveable exhibits to retain flexibility for events, according to the HHS.

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The new Visitor Center will be open year round with new bathrooms, a gift shop and a place for guests to find genealogical research, cemetery information and historical and tour information.

The new staircase is currently being constructed and the new museum is expected to be completed bythe winter of 2014, in time for  the HHS’s 100th birthday.

Find out what's happening in Hinghamfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

At Monday’s Town Meeting, Hingham residents voted for the Historical Society to appropriate $1.1 million from the Community Preservation General Reserve to help pay for the new improvements.

The HHS has already raised over $650,000, according to Cullings.  The total cost of the project is $2.9 million. 

“This is the most ambitious project ever undertaken by the Historical Society, and when completed will be mean a major new educational, cultural and economic asset for Hingham,” Cullings said in an email to Patch.

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