A look at some of the most longevous insurers in the Commonwealth
As Massachusetts marks the nation’s 250th anniversary, several of the Commonwealth’s property and casualty insurers have also recently celebrated milestones of their own, including two companies that have now been in business for 200 years or more.
The origins of these insurers date to a time when fire represented one of the principal threats to homes, businesses, and commercial properties. Long before automobile insurance existed, groups of Massachusetts property owners organized mutual fire insurance companies to share the financial risk of property losses.
Several of those original insurance organizations remain in business today. Some have preserved their mutual insurance structure, while others have become members of larger insurance groups or undergone corporate reorganizations.
Among the most longevous insurers them are Norfolk & Dedham, established in 1825; Hingham Mutual, founded in 1826; and Merrimack Mutual, established in Andover in 1828.
Eight Massachusetts Insurance Companies With Roots in the 1800s
| Insurance company | Founded | Years since founding in 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Norfolk & Dedham Mutual Fire Insurance Company | 1825 | 201 |
| Hingham Mutual Fire Insurance Company | 1826 | 200 |
| Merrimack Insurance Company (The Andover Companies) | 1828 | 198 |
| Barnstable County Mutual Insurance Company | 1833 | 193 |
| Cambridge Insurance Company (The Andover Companies) | 1833 | 193 |
| Fitchburg Mutual Insurance Company | 1847 | 179 |
| Quincy Mutual Fire Insurance Company | 1851 | 175 |
| Dorchester Mutual Insurance Company | 1855 | 171 |
The dates reflect the original formation of the insurers or their corporate predecessors. The companies are listed chronologically rather than ranked as the eight oldest insurers in Massachusetts.
Norfolk & Dedham: More Than 200 Years in Business
Norfolk Mutual Fire Insurance Company was established in Dedham in 1825. According to the company’s historical records, its founders gathered at Gragg’s Inn on Court Street to organize the insurer.
The original company subsequently became the foundation of the Norfolk & Dedham Group, which also includes Fitchburg Mutual Insurance Company, founded in 1847, and Dorchester Mutual Insurance Company, founded in 1855.
Norfolk Mutual and Dedham Mutual, itself founded in 1837, became affiliated in 1937.
More recently, Norfolk & Dedham entered into an affiliation with Vermont-based Union Mutual Insurance Company, effective November 5, 2024.
Hingham Mutual: Celebrating Its Bicentennial
Hingham Mutual Fire Insurance Company was incorporated in Massachusetts in 1826, becoming another of the Commonwealth’s early mutual property insurers.
According to Massachusetts Division of Insurance records, the company commenced business on September 1, 1826.
Over the ensuing years, Hingham Mutual expanded beyond its original local fire insurance business. In 2010, it became affiliated with Connecticut-based New London County Mutual Insurance Company following regulatory approval by the Massachusetts Commissioner of Insurance.
Today, Hingham Mutual remains part of the NLC Insurance group, which includes New London County Mutual and Thames Insurance Company.
The Andover Companies: Two Insurers Founded Before 1840
The Andover Companies traces its beginnings to 1828, when a group of Andover business and property owners established Merrimack Mutual Fire Insurance Company.
According to the company’s history, its founders included bankers, mill owners and other local property owners concerned about the possibility of a major fire damaging their community.
Merrimack Mutual subsequently acquired Cambridge Mutual Fire Insurance Company, founded in 1833, in 1913. Bay State Insurance Company joined the organization in 1955.
In January 2026, The Andover Companies announced a significant corporate reorganization, effective January 1, establishing a mutual insurance holding company structure.
Under the reorganization, Merrimack Mutual became Merrimack Insurance Company, and Cambridge Mutual became Cambridge Insurance Company. Both became stock insurance subsidiaries indirectly owned by the newly established mutual holding company, The Andover Companies, Inc.
The reorganization preserved the organization’s mutual holding company structure while changing the corporate form of two of its oldest insurance companies.
The Barnstable: Serving Cape Cod Since 1833
Barnstable County Mutual Insurance Company was founded in 1833 by Cape Cod residents seeking protection against losses caused by fire.
Originally organized to insure local properties, the company gradually expanded its insurance offerings while maintaining its mutual form of ownership.
The Barnstable continues to provide property insurance through independent insurance agents, concentrating on homeowners and other personal insurance coverages.
In 2025, The Barnstable and Quincy Mutual entered into a strategic collaboration agreement intended to provide a framework for cooperation between the two insurers.
Under the arrangement, Quincy Mutual also agreed to purchase a $25 million surplus note issued by The Barnstable. The companies remained separate insurers, and the agreement did not constitute a merger or pooling arrangement.
Quincy Mutual Celebrates 175 Years
Quincy Mutual Fire Insurance Company, founded in 1851, is celebrating its 175th anniversary in 2026.
Unlike many nineteenth-century insurers that have undergone name changes through mergers or reorganizations, Quincy Mutual has retained its original corporate name throughout its history.
Established to provide fire insurance, the company has expanded its operations over the past 175 years to offer a broad range of personal and commercial property and casualty insurance products.
Today, the Quincy Mutual Group, which includes its wholly owned Maine subsidiary, The Patrons Oxford Insurance Company, serves thousands of policyholders through independent insurance agents in New England and New York.
Quincy Mutual continues to maintain its headquarters in Quincy, Massachusetts.
The Hanover: Founded in 1852, Headquartered in Worcester Since 1969
The Hanover Insurance Group traces its origins to April 15, 1852, when The Hanover Fire Insurance Company was established in Hanover Square in New York City.
Originally organized to provide fire insurance, the company expanded its insurance offerings over the following decades, adding marine and automobile coverage after its charter was broadened in 1911.
During its early history, The Hanover faced several major catastrophes, including the Great Portland Fire of 1866, the Chicago Fire of 1871, and the Great Boston Fire of 1872. According to the company’s history, it met its claim obligations following each of these disasters.
The Hanover moved its headquarters from New York City to Worcester, Massachusetts, in 1969, where it remains headquartered today.
Now celebrating its 174th anniversary, The Hanover operates as a publicly traded national property and casualty insurance group offering commercial, personal, and specialty insurance products through independent insurance agents and brokers.
Although founded outside Massachusetts, The Hanover’s longstanding presence in Worcester makes it an important part of the Commonwealth’s insurance history.
A New England Tradition: Other Insurers With Nearly 200 Years of History or More
Massachusetts is not alone in having property and casualty insurance companies whose origins date to the early nineteenth century. Several insurers in neighboring New England states have similarly long histories, including two that were established before the War of 1812.
Providence Mutual Fire Insurance Company, founded in Providence, Rhode Island, on October 27, 1800, is among the oldest continuously operating mutual insurers in the United States. Its founders included Moses Brown and Samuel Slater, the industrial pioneer whose textile mill in Pawtucket became one of the company’s earliest insured properties in 1801. Originally chartered to insure properties within ten miles of Providence, the company now operates through independent insurance agents across the Northeast.
The Hartford, established in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1810 as Hartford Fire Insurance Company, is one of New England’s oldest insurers. The company began by providing fire insurance and subsequently expanded into a major national property and casualty insurer. Among the notable events in its early history was the Great New York Fire of 1835, when the company’s president and directors pledged their personal fortunes to help pay claims arising from the disaster.
Vermont Mutual Insurance Company traces its origins to November 10, 1827, when it received its legislative charter. It commenced operations on January 21, 1828, as Vermont Mutual Fire Insurance Company. Founded by Daniel Baldwin in Montpelier, the company was Vermont’s first mutual fire insurer and remains one of the country’s oldest mutual property and casualty insurance organizations.
New London County Mutual Insurance Company, established in Norwich, Connecticut, in 1840, is another longstanding New England mutual insurer. The company was organized to provide fire insurance and subsequently expanded its products and operations. Today, it is part of NLC Insurance, whose affiliated companies include Massachusetts-based Hingham Mutual.
Union Mutual Fire Insurance Company, founded in Montpelier, Vermont, in 1874, also traces its history to the nineteenth-century mutual insurance movement. Originally established to provide fire insurance for Vermont properties, the company expanded throughout New England and New York. More recently, Union Mutual entered into an affiliation with Massachusetts-based Norfolk & Dedham.
Patrons Oxford Insurance Company, headquartered in Maine, traces its origins to two agricultural mutual insurers established in 1876 and 1877. Organized by members of the Grange to provide affordable fire insurance for farm properties, the companies merged in 1977. Patrons Oxford subsequently became part of the Quincy Mutual organization following a 1997 acquisition.
Collectively, these insurers illustrate the extensive roots of New England’s property and casualty insurance industry over the past 250 years. Although their corporate structures, markets, and insurance products have changed over time, many continue to operate within the mutual insurance tradition established by their original founders.
