The 1809 Hedge House is one of Plymouth’s finest examples of Federal period architecture, featuring octagonal rooms in the main block and a rare intact carriage house. Built by shipowner William Hammatt, the house was originally located on Court Street, where Memorial Hall is today.
In 1830 merchant Thomas Hedge purchased the house and added a three-story ell to accommodate his large family. The Hedges owned a Main Street store, a waterfront counting house, and Hedges Wharf, which once surrounded Plymouth Rock. Thomas Hedge was one of Plymouth’s early industrialists and entrepreneurs, investing in the town’s first whaling ventures, building a candle factory to process whale oil, and partnering with his brother Isaac in a brick manufactory.
The house was lived in by Hedge family members until the death of the last resident, Lydia Hedge Lothrop, in 1918. Threatened with demolition to clear the way for the construction of Memorial Hall, the house was rescued by the Plymouth Antiquarian Society. The Society bought the house for $1 in 1919 and arranged to have the building moved to Water Street.
From its current Water Street location, the recently restored Hedge House Museum overlooks scenic Plymouth harbor. Period rooms reveal the richness of 19th-century social and domestic life, with faithfully reproduced wallpaper and carpeting, China Trade treasures, American furnishings, paintings, textiles, and toys on display. The Rose T. Briggs Memorial Garden features brick pathways and flowering perennials.
Guided Tours
Summer Season: The Hedge House is open from the beginning of June through August. Guided tours are offered between 1 and 5pm, Wednesdays through Sundays, and during special events. Last tour begins at 4:30pm.
Fall Season: The Hedge House will be open Wednesday, September 14th, through Saturday, September 17th, from 1 to 5pm. Visitors may also request to book a tour on a day the house is not scheduled to be open. Call 508-746-0012 or email info@plymouthantiquarian.org for more information.
Admission is $6/adult and $3/child; free for PAS members and Plymouth residents. Minimum fee for off-season private tours is $25.
