Nipmuc Homeland · Chartered 1715 · Start of the Boston Marathon
Where Hopkinton's Story Lives
From the Nipmuc families who knew this ground long before a deed was written, to the penny-an-acre leases that built a town, to the starting line that gave Hopkinton a place in the world's imagination every April — explore the people, places, and records that make up our shared story.
Hours
Open most Mondays
2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Closed some legal holidays · other times by appointment
Admission
Free, donations welcome
Become a member to support our work year-round
Location & Parking
168 Hayden Rowe Street, Hopkinton, MA 01748
Parking available in the large dirt lot in front of the building
Our Story
Three centuries, told honestly
Our new digital history walks chapter by chapter from the Nipmuc community at Magunkaquog through the founding of the town in 1715, the rise and fall of the shoe trade, the arrival of Hopkinton's Irish families, and the morning in 1924 when the Boston Marathon's starting line moved to our town green.
Great Trees
Before there was a town, road, or meetinghouse, the Nipmuc walked these hills for generations. We begin with the silence of the record — and what it still tells us.
Chapter FiveBirth of a Town
On December 13, 1715, the block of country we now call Hopkinton became, in the eyes of the province, a town — named for a bequest from a man who never set foot here.
Chapter FourteenThe Starting Line
On April 19, 1924, one hundred and eleven runners stood in the road at Hopkinton and waited for the word to run — and gave our town a place in the world's imagination.
Visual Storytelling
Hopkinton, then and now
Our archive holds maps, atlases, and photographs stretching back to Matthew Metcalf's 1831 survey and the Beers atlases of the 1870s. We're building a growing gallery of side-by-side “then and now” comparisons, drone footage of town landmarks, and zoomable scans of the maps that shaped Hopkinton's borders.
Digital Archive
Explore our growing collection
Historical records, sports history, and more from the Society's holdings — new material is added regularly as we digitize more of it.