The Hingham Historical Society was established in 1914 to collect, preserve, and promote Hingham’s historic heritage. The Society maintains the 1686 Old Ordinary, an enchanting house museum chronicling early life and history in Hingham, and the 1818 Hingham Heritage Museum in the Old Derby Academy building, once home of the original Derby School, the country’s oldest co-educational school. Renovated and reopened in 2017, the Hingham Heritage Museum houses the Society’s archives, the Gillis Reding Room, exhibit galleries, Museum Shop and Visitors Center.