Hull

History

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. During the Revolutionary War, General Benjamin Lincoln oversaw the evacuation of Boston from here in 1778. In 1776 a fort called "Fort Independence" (name transferred to the current fort in 1797) was built on Allerton Point, and in 1901 Fort Revere was built on the same site. In 1927 Fort Duvall was completed on Hog Island (now Spinnaker Island) armed with 16-inch guns, the largest ever deployed by the United States. Hull was originally part of Suffolk County, and when the southern part of the county was set off as Norfolk County in 1793, the towns of Hull and Hingham petitioned to remain in Suffolk County. In 1803 those towns opted out of Suffolk County and became part of Plymouth County. Lifesaving has been an important part of Hull history. The Massachusetts Humane Society placed one of its first Huts of Refuge on Nantasket Beach after the American Revolution. When it expanded its boat houses for lifeboats it placed several in Hull at Stoney Beach, on Nantasket Beach, and near Cohasset. Joshua James (1826–1902), Hull's most famous lifesaver, became the first Keeper of the Pt. Allerton U.S. Life Saving Station, when it opened in 1889. James and his crews, both Humane Society volunteers and U.S. Life-Savers, are…

Geography

Hull is located at (42.286347, −70.87663). According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 89.58%, is water. Hull is located on the narrow Nantasket Peninsula, which juts into Massachusetts Bay and is the southern land point at the entrance to Boston Harbor. Hidden in Hull's bay is Hog Island, now known as Spinnaker Island. Hog Island was home to Hull's first high school, as well as Fort Duvall before WWII, and a Nike missile site during the Cold War. Parts of the island sat very low and fill was brought in to prevent flooding. Spinnaker Island has been developed with condominiums, and is connected to mainland Hull via a low bridge. The town is bordered by Hingham Bay to the west, Massachusetts Bay to the north and east, and the towns of Cohasset and Hingham to the south. Hull is located almost by land from Boston, although by water it is just from Pemberton Point in Hull to City Point in South Boston. Although it is a forty-five-minute drive into the heart of Boston, it is a twenty-minute boat ride from Pemberton Pier, at the tip of Hull, into Boston's Long Wharf, which is close to the North End and Faneuil Hall. Hull is separated from Cohasset and Hingham by the Weir River estuary, which is state-recognized as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern. The estuary contains almost of undeveloped land, including almost of undeveloped land in Hull, of which close to 80 percent is protected from development. The estuary is important as a nursery for fish and other marine life. Over 100 species of birds also use the Weir River Estuary. The Weir River Estuary Center, owned by the town and being developed by the Weir River Watershed Association, located at the entrance to Hull on George Washington…

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Hingham High
  High · Hingham · 1,167 students · 12.7:1 ratio
• South Elementary
  Elementary · Hingham · 502 students · 13.6:1 ratio
• East Elementary School
  Elementary · Hingham · 500 students · 12.2:1 ratio
• Wm L Foster Elementary
  Elementary · Hingham · 403 students · 11.9:1 ratio
• Plymouth River
  Elementary · Hingham · 381 students · 12.7:1 ratio
• Lillian M Jacobs
  Elementary · Hull · 362 students · 10.6:1 ratio
• Hull High
  High · Hull · 241 students · 10:1 ratio
• Memorial Middle
  Middle · Hull · 172 students · 8.6:1 ratio