Marcia Thomas House

Marcia Thomas - Marshfield's First Historian
by Nancy Braithwaite

            “Miss Marcia gathered the broken fragments of William and Nathaniel Thomas' (grave) stones, placing them together until she could decipher them.”  This according to “Richards' History of Marshfield” by Lysander Richards the first president of the Marshfield Historical Society in 1913.  He is referring to Miss Marcia Abiah Thomas, considered by many, including to Mr. Richards, to be Marshfield's first historian.  She was born in August of 1800 to Luther and Rebecca (Dingley) Thomas.  Marcia Thomas distinguished herself by becoming an early advocate of historic preservation.  She and her sister Sarah worked tirelessly gathering geneologic information about the families of many of the settlers of Marshfield for Marcia's book “Memorials of Marshfield”, even spending many hours recording the inscription from old grave stones in the “Old Burying Ground”, which were also included in her book.  In the preface to “Memorials of Marshfield”, Marcia writes that the information contained within the book was drawn from materials sufficient enough for a larger volume, but since this was her first effort at putting such a book together, she approached the task with “diffidence”, hoping the public would “look with favorable indulgence upon (this) little offering.”  As it happens, despite the abundance of information resulting from her research, “Memorials of Marshfield” was Marcia's only published work.  She so deeply believed in her work, however, that she could frequently be seen discussing historical matters with such passion that she would laugh and cry at the same time.
            According to Mr. Richards, it was largely because of Marcia Thomas that the first fair was held in Marshfield, for the purpose of raising funds to fence in and preserve the “Old Burying Ground”, now known as the Winslow Cemetery.  She also bequeathed a sum of money to be used to erect a monument in that cemetery “To the memory of the early settlers of Green Harbor”.  Marcia's sister Sarah, who also believed in historic preservation, saw that Marcia's wishes were carried out and lived to see the monument dedicated. 

Directions:  Take either Exit 11 or Exit 12 off Route 3

From Route 3 take Exit 11 (Route 14) east.  Just after the Duxbury police station, bear left at the fork onto Route 139. Continue through the intersection of Route 3A for 1.4 miles.  Turn left onto Webster Street.  The Marcia Thomas House will be ¼ mile on the left at 65 Webster Street.

From Route 3 take Exit 12 (Route 139) east for about 3 miles (many traffic lights) into the center of Marshfield.  Turn right onto Webster Street (CVS Pharmacy opposite).  Proceed for about 2 miles.  The Marcia Thomas House will be on the right at 65 Webster Street.

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