The Cudworth House sits on land granted to Richard Garrett before 1646. In 1728 Jael Garrett sold the dwelling house and land to James Cudworth. Ownership passed to his grandson, Zephaniah, who built the present house in 1797 around the chimney of the original structure on the site. In 1851 Israel Thorndike purchased the property from the Cudworths, and in 1916 it became the property of the Town of Scituate. That same year the Scituate Historical Society formed, and the Town turned administrative control of the site over to the non-profit organization.