Our Peninsula


Winthrop was named after the first Governor of Massachusetts, John Winthrop, and in 2005 was the only remaining Town in Suffolk County. It is located on a peninsula, at the beginning of the North Shore, with 7 miles of shore line that provide breathtaking views of the ocean to the East and of the Boston skyline to the West.


Originally part of an area called Winnesimmet by the Native Americans, our peninsula was annexed by Boston through an Act of Council in 1632 and within 3 years became the grazing area for farm animals of the rapidly growing Boston colony. In 1637 it was divided into 17 parcels of land that were given by Governor Winthrop to 15 prominent men in Boston with the stipulation that each must erect a building on his land within 2 years. Few, if any, of theses men ever lived here but their farms prospered. Before 1650, many of the original landowners had sold their farms or abandoned them as they left the area. By 1690 there were only 4 farms on our peninsula which were owned by Deane Winthrop and three members of the bill family, James, Joseph and Jonathon. One of these early houses, possibly built at least in part during the first half of the 1600’s, was the home of Governor Winthrop’s son Deane who lived there until his death in 1703/4. This house is still standing and is maintained, for public viewing, by the Winthrop Improvement and Historical Association. A picture of this home from the mid 1600’s is shown below.


In 1739 (approved 11/27/1738), what is now Chelsea, Revere and Winthrop withdrew from Boston due to governmental control disputes and became the Town of Chelsea. Again the desire for more local control resulted in Revere and Winthrop seceding from Chelsea in 1846 to become No. Chelsea. Shortly thereafter, in 1852, Winthrop was incorporated as a Town in its own right with a Board of Selectmen and Town Meeting form of government. In 1921, Winthrop was the second Town in the Commonwealth to apply for and receive a Charter for a Representative Town Meeting. In 2005, the Town Meeting was replaced by a Council form of government. A picture of the original 1856 Town Hall is shown below.