“The Hutchinsons of High Rock” will be the topic of the Lynnfield Historical Society’s meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 18, at Centre Congregational Church. Lynnfield resident and author Tom Dalton will be the guest speaker.
In the 1840s, Jesse Hutchinson purchased several acres for a farm on High Rock, a rocky summit in Lynn with wide ocean views. He and his extended family lived there until the early 20th century. Four of his younger siblings formed a successful singing group that Jesse managed. The singers performed nationally, protesting slavery and later supporting women’s suffrage both in the United States and abroad. They gained international fame, appearing with abolitionist Frederick Douglass and entertaining President Abraham Lincoln.
A stone cottage built by the Hutchinson family still stands on the site. An adjacent observation tower was burned down by revelers at the end of the Civil War. The family later bequeathed the parcel to the city of Lynn. In 1905, the present Romanesque High Rock Tower was erected on the property, which became a public park.
Dalton became interested in the Hutchinson Family Singers while researching his recent book, Frederick Douglass: The Lynn Years.
Parking is available behind Centre Congregational Church on Main Street. Refreshments will be served. The event is open to the public.
