Adams National Historical Park, formerly Adams National Historic Site, in
Quincy, Massachusetts
Quincy ( ) is a coastal U.S. city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the largest city in the county and a part of Metropolitan Boston as one of Boston's immediate southern suburbs. Its population in 2020 was 101,636, making ...
, preserves the home of
United States presidents
The president of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States, indirectly elected to a four-year term via the Electoral College. The officeholder leads the executive branch of the federal government and ...
John Adams
John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before his presidency, he was a leader of t ...
and
John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams (; July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, and diarist who served as the sixth president of the United States, from 1825 to 1829. He previously served as the eighth United States ...
, of U.S. envoy to
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...
,
Charles Francis Adams, and of writers and historians
Henry Adams
Henry Brooks Adams (February 16, 1838 – March 27, 1918) was an American historian and a member of the Adams political family, descended from two U.S. Presidents.
As a young Harvard graduate, he served as secretary to his father, Charles Fr ...
and
Brooks Adams
Peter Chardon Brooks Adams (June 24, 1848 – February 13, 1927) was an American attorney, historian, political scientist and a critic of capitalism.
Early life and education
Adams was born in Quincy, Massachusetts, on June 24, 1848, son of ...
.
The
national historical park
National Historic Site (NHS) is a designation for an officially recognized area of national historic significance in the United States. An NHS usually contains a single historical feature directly associated with its subject. The National Historic ...
's eleven buildings tell the story of five generations of the Adams family (from 1720 to 1927) including presidents,
first ladies
First lady is an unofficial title usually used for the wife, and occasionally used for the daughter or other female relative, of a non-monarchical head of state or chief executive. The term is also used to describe a woman seen to be at the t ...
, envoys, historians, writers, and family members who supported and contributed to their success. In addition to
Peacefield
Peacefield, also called Peace field or Old House, is a historic home formerly owned by the Adams family of Quincy, Massachusetts. It was the home of United States Founding Father and U.S. president John Adams and First Lady Abigail Adams, and o ...
, home to four generations of the Adams family, the park's main historic features include the
John Adams Birthplace
The John Adams Birthplace is a historic house at 133 Franklin Street in Quincy, Massachusetts. It is the saltbox home in which Founding Father and second president of the United States, John Adams, was born in 1735. The house was designated a N ...
(October 30, 1735), the nearby
John Quincy Adams Birthplace (July 11, 1767), and the Stone Library (built in 1870 to house the books of John Quincy Adams and believed to be the first
presidential library), containing more than 14,000 historic volumes in 12 languages.
There is an off-site Visitors Center less than a mile (1.6 km) away. Regularly scheduled tours of the houses are offered in season (April 19 to November 10) by guided tour only. Access to
United First Parish Church
United First Parish Church is a Unitarian Universalist congregation in Quincy, Massachusetts, established as the parish church of Quincy in 1639. The current building was constructed in 1828 by noted Boston stonecutter Abner Joy to designs by ...
, where the Adamses worshipped and are buried, is provided by the congregation, for which they ask a small donation. The
Church of the Presidents is across the town square from the Visitors Center and provides tours on a regular basis.
John Adams Birthplace
This house is a
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
, the birthplace of
John Adams
John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before his presidency, he was a leader of t ...
. In 1720 it was purchased by Deacon
John Adams, Sr., the father of the future second president. The younger Adams lived here until 1764, when he married
Abigail Smith
Abigail Smith is a professor in marine sciences at Otago University in Dunedin.
Smith grew up in Maine and did her undergraduate studies at Colby College and Massachusetts Institute of Technology before emigrating to New Zealand to study for ...
. It is a few feet from the
John Quincy Adams Birthplace home, where John and Abigail Adams moved.
John Quincy Adams Birthplace
![John Quincy Adams birthplace, Quincy, Massachusetts](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/John_Quincy_Adams_birthplace%2C_Quincy%2C_Massachusetts.JPG)
The house where John and Abigail Adams and their family lived during the time he was working on the
Declaration of Independence
A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of th ...
and the Revolutionary War is also the 1767 birthplace of their son, John Quincy Adams. The younger Adams grew up in the home, and he and his family lived in it for a time later in life.
The Old House at Peacefield
![Old House, Quincy, Massachusetts](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/Old_House%2C_Quincy%2C_Massachusetts.JPG)
The Old House was originally constructed in 1731 for Leonard Vassall, a sugar plantation owner, and was used as his summer house. The house stood empty for some time before it, along with , was purchased by Adams on September 23, 1787, for 600 pounds. The Adams family renamed it
Peacefield
Peacefield, also called Peace field or Old House, is a historic home formerly owned by the Adams family of Quincy, Massachusetts. It was the home of United States Founding Father and U.S. president John Adams and First Lady Abigail Adams, and o ...
, moved in the next year, and various generations occupied it until 1927, when
Brooks Adams
Peter Chardon Brooks Adams (June 24, 1848 – February 13, 1927) was an American attorney, historian, political scientist and a critic of capitalism.
Early life and education
Adams was born in Quincy, Massachusetts, on June 24, 1848, son of ...
, the last occupant, died. That year it was sold to the Adams Memorial Society.
The
National Park Service
The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propert ...
acquired it in 1947, and it has been a
National Historic Site ever since.
Stone Library
![AdamsNHS-Library](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/AdamsNHS-Library.jpeg)
The Stone Library, completed in 1870, stands next to Peacefield and houses personal papers and over 14,000 books which belonged to John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Charles Francis Adams,
Henry Adams
Henry Brooks Adams (February 16, 1838 – March 27, 1918) was an American historian and a member of the Adams political family, descended from two U.S. Presidents.
As a young Harvard graduate, he served as secretary to his father, Charles Fr ...
, and
Brooks Adams
Peter Chardon Brooks Adams (June 24, 1848 – February 13, 1927) was an American attorney, historian, political scientist and a critic of capitalism.
Early life and education
Adams was born in Quincy, Massachusetts, on June 24, 1848, son of ...
. In his will, John Quincy Adams requested that the library be built out of stone so that it would be fireproof.
The Library holds John Adams' copy of
George Washington's Farewell Address
Washington's Farewell Address is a letter written by American President George Washington as a valedictory to "friends and fellow-citizens" after 20 years of public service to the United States. He wrote it near the end of his second term of p ...
as well as the
Mendi Bible, a Bible presented to John Quincy Adams in 1841 by the freed
Mendi
Mendi, Papua New Guinea, is the provincial capital of the Southern Highlands Province. The Lai River flows by the town. It is served by Mendi Airport. The town falls under Mendi Urban LLG.
Geography
The town is located in the Mendi River V ...
captives who had mutinied on the schooner ''
La Amistad
''La Amistad'' (; Spanish for ''Friendship'') was a 19th-century two- masted schooner, owned by a Spaniard colonizing Cuba. It became renowned in July 1839 for a slave revolt by Mende captives, who had been captured and sold to European slave ...
'' and whom Adams had successfully defended before the United States Supreme Court.
[http://amistad.mysticseaport.org/library/news/nyjc/1841.11.27.mendisdepart.html](_blank)
Henry Adams wrote his nine-volume ''
The History of the United States of America 1801–1817
''The History of the United States of America 1801–1817'', also known as ''The History of the United States of America During the Administrations of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison'', is a nine-volume history written by American intellectual ...
'' in the library.
On the evening of November 11, 1996, one or more thieves used a chainsaw to gain access to and rob the building. The break-in triggered the site’s alarm system; however, the perpetrators fled before police arrived.
Four priceless books were stolen: a 1772 English Bible which belonged to
Louisa Catherine Adams (John Quincy Adams's English-born wife), a 1611
King James Bible, an 18th-century copy of
Marcus Elieser Bloch
Marcus Elieser Bloch (1723–1799) was a German physician and naturalist who is best known for his contribution to ichthyology through his multi-volume catalog of plates illustrating the fishes of the world. Brought up in a Hebrew-speaking Jewish ...
's ''Ichthyology'' (which contained hand-painted illustrations), and the 1838
Mendi Bible (which was presented to John Quincy Adams by the group of 53 Mendi tribes people whom Adams defended for at the Supreme Court). With the help of the FBI, the books were returned to Adams National Historical Park undamaged. Kevin P. Gildea, 42, was indicted on two counts of theft and one count each of concealing objects of cultural heritage and concealing government property.
[AP News, 03/25/1998 "Adams Estate Theft Suspect Indicted".]
United First Parish Church
The church where both presidents and first ladies are entombed in the Adams Crypt is in close walking distance to the park visitor center but is not and has never been run by the National Park service. It is owned by the active congregation of
Unitarian Universalists
Unitarian Universalism (UU) is a liberal religion characterized by a "free and responsible search for truth and meaning". Unitarian Universalists assert no creed, but instead are unified by their shared search for spiritual growth, guided by ...
. In the past ten years, the congregation has used almost $2 million of its own resources to preserve the building. Church volunteers regularly give tours of the crypt, and the church is a popular second destination among park visitors.
Administrative history
*February 13, 1927 —
Brooks Adams
Peter Chardon Brooks Adams (June 24, 1848 – February 13, 1927) was an American attorney, historian, political scientist and a critic of capitalism.
Early life and education
Adams was born in Quincy, Massachusetts, on June 24, 1848, son of ...
, the last owner of the house, dies.
*December 9, 1946 — The Old House at Peacefield was designated the Adams Mansion National Historic Site
*1948-
Wilhelmina Harris, Brooks Adams's former secretary, is hired to work at the park.
*1950 — Wilhelmina Harris is promoted to become the park's first superintendent
*November 26, 1952 — The site was renamed Adams National Historic Site and an adjoining parcel of land was added.
*December 19, 1960 — the birthplaces of both presidents were designated
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
s.
*October 15, 1966 — The entire historic site was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
(as are all historic areas administered by the
National Park Service
The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propert ...
).
*December 30, 1970 — The privately owned United First Parish Church was also designated a National Historic Landmark.
*November 2, 1998 — The historic site was redesignated Adams National Historical Park.
[
]
See also
*
References
Further reading
*
* See Publications and Books on
Wilhelmina Harris page. Harris was the National Park Service Superintendent for the Adams Historical Park for 37 years, and worked ten years as social secretary to
Brooks Adams
Peter Chardon Brooks Adams (June 24, 1848 – February 13, 1927) was an American attorney, historian, political scientist and a critic of capitalism.
Early life and education
Adams was born in Quincy, Massachusetts, on June 24, 1848, son of ...
until his death.
External links
* Official NPS website
Adams National Historical Park"Life Portrait of John Adams" from
C-SPAN's ''
American Presidents: Life Portraits'', broadcast from Adams National Historical Park, March 22, 1999
"Writings of Henry Adams", broadcast from Adams National Historical Parkfrom
C-SPAN's ''
American Writers''
Secretary Kerry, Chinese State Councilor Yang Wave to Tourists Following Tour of Adams Historic Site in MassachusettsCultural Landscape report for the Adams Birthplaces, Adams National Historical Park, 2014
{{authority control
Adams political family residences
National Register of Historic Places in Quincy, Massachusetts
National Historical Parks in Massachusetts
Protected areas established in 1946
Parks in Norfolk County, Massachusetts
Museums in Quincy, Massachusetts
Presidential museums in Massachusetts
1946 establishments in Massachusetts
National Historical Parks of the United States
Women in Massachusetts