The Dorothy Quincy Homestead is a US National Historic Landmark at 34 Butler Road 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 Greater Boston, Metropolitan Boston as one of Boston's immediate southern suburbs. Its population in 2020 was 1 ...

. The house was originally built by Edmund Quincy II in 1686 who had an extensive property upon which there were multiple buildings. Today, the site consists of the Dorothy Quincy Homestead, which has been preserved as a museum and is open occasionally to the public.

History

The original property covered approximately extending from its present location to Quincy Bay and included the Dorothy Quincy House (1686), the Josiah Quincy House (1770), and the Josiah Quincy Mansion (1848). The Josiah Quincy Mansion, located on the property purchased by the Eastern Nazarene College in 1919, was torn down in 1969. The Quincy family was one of the leading families of Massachusetts in from the 17th century to the 19th century. Descendants included several prominent Edmund Quincys and Josiah Quincys, and John Quincy Adams by virtue of his mother, American

First Lady 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 A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state fo ...

Abigail Adams. They settled in what is now Quincy in the 1630s. The present Homestead was initially built by Edmund Quincy II. It became a meeting place for many American Revolutionary War patriots such as John Adams, Colonel John Quincy, and John Hancock. It was the childhood home of the first First Lady of Massachusetts,

Dorothy Quincy Hancock Scott Dorothy Quincy Hancock Scott (; May 21 (May 10 O.S.) 1747 – February 3, 1830) was an American hostess, daughter of Justice Edmund Quincy of Braintree and Boston, and the wife of Founding Father John Hancock. Her aunt, also named Doroth ...

, wife of John Hancock.

Preservation

Representing the evolution of over 320 years of American architecture, the Dorothy Quincy House combines

Colonial Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French Colonial * Spanish Colonial architecture Automobiles * Colonial (1920 a ...

, Georgian and

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literature ...

design. It is one of the rare Massachusetts examples in which the elements of a 17th-century building are still clearly visible although surrounded by later styles. In 2005 the Quincy Homestead was designated as a National Historic Landmark. The Homestead is owned by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and operated by

The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America is an American organization composed of women who are descended from an ancestor "who came to reside in an American Colony before 1776, and whose services were rendered during the Colonial Pe ...

in a public-private partnership. In 1904, when the property was threatened by encroaching urban development, a citizen drive was established to save the mansion. Led by the Massachusetts Colonial Dames and Charles Francis Adams, Jr., the grandson of President John Quincy Adams, Quincy residents raised funds to assist the Dames in purchasing the estate and creating a distinctive house museum. Looking to the long-term protection and presentation of the property, the Colonial Dames then negotiated a sale-leaseback agreement with the Commonwealth, whereby the Commonwealth accepted responsibility for capital improvements and the exterior preservation of the house, and the Dames agreed to maintain the interior of the home, to beautify it with period furniture and decorative arts, and to interpret its history to the public. This relationship has continued for over a century. Since 2005, the Dorothy Quincy Homestead has undergone a comprehensive exterior renovation to restore this stately historic building to its former grandeur. The project has included painting the structure, re-glazing the windows, and other major improvements.

Gallery

File:"Dorothy Q" House, old Quincy Mansion, Quincy, Mass. - DPLA - 1d748970cf39d3f0cfc9b4fa1efbd917.jpg, "Dorothy Q" House, old Quincy Mansion, Quincy, Mass.

References

External links

NSCDA Official Website
(accessed March 18, 2015) {{National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts National Historic Landmarks in Massachusetts

Quincy Homestead The Dorothy Quincy Homestead is a US National Historic Landmark at 34 Butler Road in Quincy, Massachusetts. The house was originally built by Edmund Quincy II in 1686 who had an extensive property upon which there were multiple buildings. Today, ...

Quincy family homestead Museums in Quincy, Massachusetts Houses in Quincy, Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places in Quincy, Massachusetts National Society of the Colonial Dames of America Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Norfolk County, Massachusetts

History

Preservation

Gallery

See also

References

External links