Historic Hull
Step into Hull's history. Explore Fort Revere, the Water Tower on Telegraph Hill, the Hull Lifesaving Museum, Paragon Carousel & Park Museum, the Art Moderne Bath House, the Hull Public Library, and more.
Use the map and cards below to learn each site's story and plan your visit.
Historic Hull
Explore Hull's historic buildings and landmarks that tell the story of the town's rich heritage.
From the iconic Paragon Carousel to Fort Revere Park, these sites showcase different eras of Hull's development and continue to draw visitors from near and far.
Built in 1928 by the legendary Philadelphia Toboggan Company, the Paragon Carousel has been operating on Nantasket Beach for more than ninety years. With its vibrant colors and whimsical design, it offers a nostalgic ride that transports visitors to a bygone era.
Located in the Clock Tower building adjacent to the Carousel on Nantasket Avenue, the Paragon Park Museum and Museum Shop explore the history of Nantasket Beach and the beloved amusement park that operated on its shores for more than eighty year
The Mary Jeanette Murray Bath House is a notable landmark located at Nantasket Beach. Built in 1935 to a design by the architects Putnam & Cox, it showcases stunning Art Moderne architecture — a central mass with wings adorned by glass block — and serves as a bath house facility and community venue. It replaced an earlier bath house by Stickney & Austin that had burned down. After a major restoration in the late 1990s the building reopened and was renamed for Mary Jeanette Murray, a state representative. It remains a well-preserved and functional part of the Nantasket Beach Reservation.
Fort Revere Park sits on Telegraph Hill, with stunning views over Boston Harbor and the surrounding coastline. The hill was a defensive point long before the fort itself: French Admiral d'Estaing directed the earthen Fort Independence here during the Revolutionary War. The fort standing today was built in the late 1800s, trained soldiers bound for Europe in the First World War, and anchored a submarine net across the harbor in the Second. The water tower, several batteries and the officer's quarters survive — the last now a museum of the fort's history — and there are picnic tables and grills for visitors.
The Hull Public Library is a beloved community resource that provides a wealth of literary and educational materials. The library's welcoming atmosphere and extensive collection make it a cherished destination for residents and visitors alike. Explore the Hull Public Library to discover a world of knowledge and inspiration.
The Hull Lifesaving Museum is a fascinating place dedicated to preserving the rich maritime heritage of Hull, Massachusetts. Founded in 1978, the museum focuses on the history of lifesaving and the heroic rescues performed by the crews of the United States Life-Saving Service (USLSS) and the United States Coast Guard (USCG) in the Hull area. The museum features a variety of exhibits, including the original rescue surfboat “Nantasket” and a Breeches Buoy apparatus, which was used to haul sailors to safety from shipwrecks. The museum offers numerous programs and workshops, including youth development programs, open water rowing, and educational lectures. Beyond being a museum, it plays an essential role in the community by providing life-changing and sometimes life-saving experiences through its various programs.
The First Town Hall & School is a Greek Revival municipal building put up on Spring Street in 1848. Its first floor was used as a school and its second as town offices and a meeting hall, so for much of the nineteenth century Hull's civic and educational life shared one roof. An earlier town hall on the Old Common, built in 1815, had been destroyed in a storm and was never rebuilt.
The Windmill Point Boathouse is part of the Hull Lifesaving Museum. It is now being restored and serves as the base for the museum's maritime programs and events, such as open-water rowing and the SNOW ROW race. The historic boathouse, originally built in the 1930s by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), offers scenic views and is a popular spot for community activities.
The Hull Water Tower is an iconic landmark that has stood tall in the town for over a century. At the highest point of Telegraph Hill this water tower which rises 120 feet off the ground was built in 1903 for the new Fort Revere as the first reinforced concrete water tower in the United States.