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AHistory
History · Hull

Hull dates to 1622, and 44% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 92% of U.S. towns · #123 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it

5 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Boston Light, a National Historic Landmark, and a historic district. Below: 42 old photos and papers, maps from 1892 on, and the census since 1790.

1622founded
5on the National Register
44%homes built before 1940
42old photos & papers
11famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Hull’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Hull began

When was Hull founded?

1622

Hull dates its founding to 1622 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). It appears in the first U.S. census, 1790.

First census: 120 in 17902020 census: 10,072404 years

How historic is Hull?

A

More historic than 92% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1849.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Hull’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Hull is more historic than 92% of U.S. towns, #123 of 283 in Massachusetts. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Hull’s overall grade.
Founding era1622, from Wikidata: founded before 1776, an older era than 96% of U.S. townsA+Homes built before 194043.7% of homes (±3.6) · typical MA town 21.1% · U.S. 8.4%A+National Register5 listings, 4.9 per 10,000 residents · typical MA town 46.0 · U.S. 2.4B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 92%
NewerOlder
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 57%

Massachusetts towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Massachusetts town has 46.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Hull’s 4.9 sits below most of its state (21% of Massachusetts towns have fewer) while its 5 listings outnumber those of 70% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.6 points). Two sources give 1622.

Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Hull’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A town in postcards42 old photos, postcards and papers, 1864–1930.Older than the countryEstablished in 1622, 154 years before the Declaration of Independence.Lost villages6 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Hull, and 13 old place names are still on the map.On the map since 18927 editions of the USGS map, 1892 to 1997. Watch Hull change.
★ What stands out · By decade

Hull, decade by decade

6 decades in the archive, from the 1860s to the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1860s–1890s7 items
Steamer Boston Hull Hingham1864Steamer Boston Hull HinghamUS-MA(1891) p346 ENTRANCE TO THE HARBOR OF BOSTON, FROM TELEGRAPH HILL1891US-MA(1891) p346 ENTRANCE TO THE HARBOR OF BOSTON, FR…Atlantic Hotel, Nantasket, Mass1898Atlantic Hotel, Nantasket, MassPostcardBird's-eye View, Nantasket Beach, Mass1898Bird's-eye View, Nantasket Beach, MassPostcardEntrance to Paragon Park, Nantasket Beach, Mass1898Entrance to Paragon Park, Nantasket Beach, MassPostcardHotel Pemberton, Hull, Mass1898Hotel Pemberton, Hull, MassPostcardStony Beach station 1898 storm damage1898Stony Beach station 1898 storm damagePostcard
1900s11 items
Nantasket Beach steamboat pier postcard1901–1907Nantasket Beach steamboat pier postcardPostcardTwisted tracks at Cushing Hill postcard1901–1907Twisted tracks at Cushing Hill postcardPostcardHull, Mass., from Paddock's Island1901Hull, Mass., from Paddock's IslandBoston Light and Hotel Pemberton from Paddock's Island1901Boston Light and Hotel Pemberton from Paddock's IslandParagon Park1905Paragon ParkBeacon Road (Allerton) station postcard1907–1915Beacon Road (Allerton) station postcardPostcardPemberton station and rail yard from hotel - postcard1907–1915Pemberton station and rail yard from hotel - postcardPostcardView from Allerton Hill postcard1907–1915View from Allerton Hill postcardPostcardView of cottages, Pemberton, Massachusetts - postcard1907–1915View of cottages, Pemberton, Massachusetts - postcardPostcardAllerton station and Nantasket Avenue 1909 postcardc. 1909Allerton station and Nantasket Avenue 1909 postcardPostcardNantasket Beach with streetcar station 1909 postcardc. 1909Nantasket Beach with streetcar station 1909 postcardPostcard
1910s10 items
Hotel Pemberton and bay - 1910 postcardc. 1910Hotel Pemberton and bay - 1910 postcardPostcardPemberton Pier and Hotel Pemberton - 1910 postcardc. 1910Pemberton Pier and Hotel Pemberton - 1910 postcardPostcardNantasket Cafe with streetcars - 1912 postcardc. 1912Nantasket Cafe with streetcars - 1912 postcardPostcardView of Paragon Parkc. 1914View of Paragon ParkPostcardKenberma station 1915 postcardc. 1915Kenberma station 1915 postcardPostcardNantasket Pier white border postcard (1)1915–1930Nantasket Pier white border postcard (1)PostcardNantasket Pier white border postcard (2)1915–1930Nantasket Pier white border postcard (2)PostcardNantasket station postcard (1)1915–1930Nantasket station postcard (1)PostcardNantasket station postcard (2)1915–1930Nantasket station postcard (2)PostcardKenberma station 1919 postcardc. 1919Kenberma station 1919 postcardPostcard
1920s–1930s14 items
Scene in Paragon Park, Nantasket Beach, MAc. 1920Scene in Paragon Park, Nantasket Beach, MAPostcardFortDuvallM1919011928FortDuvallM191901$5 reward if you find me in this crowd, Nantasket Beach, Mass (72578)c. 1930$5 reward if you find me in this crowd, Nantasket Bea…PostcardBarry's American House, Nantasket Beach, Mass (85115)c. 1930Barry's American House, Nantasket Beach, Mass (85115)PostcardBathing in front of Hotel Nantasket, Nantasket Beach, Mass (68973)c. 1930Bathing in front of Hotel Nantasket, Nantasket Beach,…PostcardEntering the bay at Nantasket Beach, Mass (68970)c. 1930Entering the bay at Nantasket Beach, Mass (68970)PostcardLost in the storm, Nantasket Beach, Mass (72538)c. 1930Lost in the storm, Nantasket Beach, Mass (72538)PostcardNantasket Avenue showing Hotel Nantasket, Paragon Park and the waiting room from Fishermen's Cove, Nantasket Beach, Mas…c. 1930Nantasket Avenue showing Hotel Nantasket, Paragon Par…PostcardNantasket Hotel from the beach, Nantasket Beach, Mass (68969)c. 1930Nantasket Hotel from the beach, Nantasket Beach, Mass…PostcardSea Breeze Cafe, Nantasket Beach, Mass (65298)c. 1930Sea Breeze Cafe, Nantasket Beach, Mass (65298)PostcardSea Gulls dip over breaking waves, Nantasket Beach, Mass (64036)c. 1930Sea Gulls dip over breaking waves, Nantasket Beach, M…PostcardSwells about to break on the ocean, Nantasket Beach, Mass (72521)c. 1930Swells about to break on the ocean, Nantasket Beach, …PostcardThe South Shore Farms, Hull, Mass., on the Old Nantasket Beach Road (62295)c. 1930The South Shore Farms, Hull, Mass., on the Old Nantas…The boat landing, Nantasket Beach, Mass (68974)c. 1930The boat landing, Nantasket Beach, Mass (68974)Postcard
1940s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Timeline

Hull, 1622 to 1957

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 17th century
  2. 1622
    FoundingHull is established
  3. 18th century
  4. 1716BuiltBoston Light is built
  5. 19th century
  6. 1826Born hereJoshua James is born here
  7. 1849Post officeThe Hull post office opens
  8. 1864In the archiveSteamer Boston Hull Hingham
  9. 1881Born hereFoster Waterman Stearns is born here
  10. 1891In the archiveUS-MA(1891) p346 ENTRANCE TO THE HARBOR OF BOSTON, FROM TELEGRAPH HILL
  11. 1892On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  12. 1895Post officeThe Allerton post office opens
  13. 1898Post officeThe Surfside post office opens
  14. 20th century
  15. 1901In the archiveNantasket Beach steamboat pier postcard
  16. 1903BuiltGraves Light Station is built
  17. 1910In the archiveHotel Pemberton and bay - 1910 postcard
  18. 1911Post officeThe Surfside post office closes
  19. 1915Born hereJoseph P. Kennedy Jr. is born here
  20. 1920In the archiveScene in Paragon Park, Nantasket Beach, MA
  21. 1930In the archive$5 reward if you find me in this crowd, Nantasket Beach, Mass (72578)
  22. 1957Post officeThe Allerton post office closes
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Hull’s post office has been open since 1849. Six other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Hull
1849–today
Allerton
1895–1957
Surfside
1898–1911
Fort Andrews
1907–1928
Kenberma
1910–1957
Nantasket Beach
1911–1957
Straits Pond
1916–1957
18401930today
Hamlets and corners on the map
AllertonAtlanticBaysideFort AndrewsFort DuvallFort RevereKenbermaNantasket BeachPembertonStony BeachStraits PondWavelandWindemere
Gone or out of use
Bay Side StationlocaleFort AndrewsmilitaryHull Post Officepost officeHull StationlocaleIrvington StationlocaleKenberma StationlocaleNantasket StationlocalePemberton StationlocalePoint Allerton StationlocaleStony Beach StationlocaleStrawberry Hill StationlocaleSurfside Stationlocale
1cemetery inside Hull
Hull

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

The story

How Hull came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Hull.

Read it all →

The Massachuset tribe called the area Nantasket, meaning "at the strait" or "low-tide place". It is a series of islands connected by sandbars forming Nantasket Peninsula, on which the Plymouth Colony established a trading post in 1621 for trade with the Wampanoags. The town was first settled in 1622 and officially incorporated in 1644, when it was named for Kingston upon Hull, England. Roger Conant was in the area, after leaving the Plymouth Colony and before going to Cape Ann in 1625. Early industries included fishing, trade and salvaging shipwrecks.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

On the map

Hull on the map, 1892 to 1997

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Hull. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Hull on the 1892 USGS mapHull on the 1903 USGS mapHull on the 1944 USGS mapHull on the 1958 USGS mapHull on the 1971 USGS mapHull on the 1984 USGS mapHull on the 1997 USGS map1892Boston Bay sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Hull.

Every building

Hull, building by building, 1910–1922

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Hull fire insurance map, 1910, sheet 11910Sheet 1 of 20
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Steamer Boston Hull Hingham
Retake this viewSteamer Boston Hull Hingham, 1864

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Hull’s page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

5 historic places in Hull

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier.

places listed
5
National Historic Landmark
1
Boston Light
historic buildings protected
5
each building in a district counts
first listed
1966
Boston Light
Point Allerton Lifesaving StationGraves Light Station, built 1903Paragon Park CarouselHull Shore Drive, Nantasket Avenue, Metropolitan Park System of Greater Boston MPSBoston Light, built 1716★
BuildingsDistrictsStructures★ landmark

Architectural styles listings

Queen Anne1
12-sided Octagon Revival1
★ Landmark
Boston LightBuilt 1716
Point Allerton Lifesaving StationQueen Anne
Graves Light StationBuilt 1903
Paragon Park Carousel12-sided Octagon Revival
Hull Shore Drive, Nantasket Avenue, Metropolitan Park System of Greater Boston MPSDistrict

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

Hull, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00010,00012,00018001850190019502000Peak: 11,050

Between 120 and 11,050 people in every census since 1790.

19 censuses, 1790–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Hull’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

11 famous people were born in Hull

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Joseph P. Kennedy Jr.Junior officer in the United States Navy and el… · b. 1915
Eric HealeyAmerican ice hockey player · b. 1975
Foster Waterman StearnsAmerican politician · b. 1881
Joshua JamesUnited States Lifesaver · b. 1826
M
Matt GlennonAmerican ice hockey player · b. 1968
Robert HaswellAmerican sailor · b. 1768
Help out

Finish Hull’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
4 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewSteamer Boston Hull Hingham: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Hingham6 historic placesA+Cohasset7 historic placesAQuincy106 historic placesABoston324 historic placesA+Weymouth Town14 historic placesA

Questions about Hull’s history

What year was Hull founded?

In 1622, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Hull’s post office opened in 1849, and the first U.S. census counted 120 people here in 1790.

How does Hull rank for history?

Hull is more historic than 92% of U.S. towns, #123 of 283 in Massachusetts. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Hull?

5 listings: 1 building, 1 historic district, the Hull Shore Drive, Nantasket Avenue, Metropolitan Park System of Greater Boston MPS,, and 3 structures.

How old are the homes in Hull?

44% of Hull’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.6 points), against a typical 21% for a Massachusetts town; the median home was built in 1946.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (39), the Library of Congress (3), the National Register of Historic Places (5), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.