The John Quincy Adams Birthplace is a historic house at 141 Franklin Street in Quincy, Massachusetts. It is the

saltbox A saltbox house is a gable-roofed residential structure that is typically two stories in the front and one in the rear. It is a traditional New England style of home, originally timber framed, which takes its name from its resemblance to a woode ...

home in which the sixth United States President,

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 ...

, was born in 1767. The family lived in this home during the time

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 ...

helped found the United States with his work 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

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. His own

birthplace The place of birth (POB) or birthplace is the place where a person was born. This place is often used in legal documents, together with name and date of birth, to uniquely identify a person. Practice regarding whether this place should be a cou ...

is only away, on the same property. Both houses are

National Historic Landmarks 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 ...

, and part of

Adams National Historical Park 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 Metropolit ...

, operated 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 ...

Construction history

The house is a story wood frame

style house, sheathed in wooden clapboards. There are two main rooms, one on either side of a central chimney, on each of the two floors, and there are two further rooms in the lean-to section on the first floor. The main facade is three bays wide with the entry in the center. The doorway is framed by pilasters and topped by an entablature and triangular pediment. A similarly treated entrance is located at the southeast corner of the building.Polly M. Rettig (April 3, 1978) , National Park Service and The house was built in 1717, with the rear lean-to added later. This house was purchased in 1744 by Deacon

, and was probably enlarged by him, adding the rooms on the other side of the chimney. He gave the house to his son, the future second president, in 1761. The younger John Adams moved into the house in 1764; it was around this time that the lean-to was added, as well as the door trim and the secondary entrance.

Later history

John and

Abigail Adams Abigail Adams ( ''née'' Smith; November 22, [ O.S. November 11] 1744 – October 28, 1818) was the wife and closest advisor of John Adams, as well as the mother of John Quincy Adams. She was a founder of the United States, an ...

made the house their home until 1783, after which it was rented to tenants. John Quincy Adams purchased both this house and the neighboring birthplace of his father in 1803, and lived in this house from 1805 to 1807. The houses were rented to tenants until 1885, at which time much of the surrounding land was sold off. In 1895

Charles Francis Adams, Jr. Charles Francis Adams Jr. (May 27, 1835 – March 20, 1915) was an American author, historian, and railroad and park commissioner who served as the president of the Union Pacific Railroad from 1884 to 1890. He served as a colonel in the Union Arm ...

authorized the Quincy Historical Society to use the house as its headquarters. The house was sold to the City of Quincy in 1940, which continued to rent it to the Historical Society. On December 19, 1960, the birthplace was designated 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 border of the national historic landmark includes both houses and a park area. The two houses are now part of the

, and are operated by the

. The elder Adams' later mansion, called

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 ...

, is a few miles away, as are the graves of both presidents and their wives in the

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 ...

. The Abigail Adams Cairn, atop a nearby hill from which Abigail and the 7-year old

watched the Battle of Bunker Hill and the burning of Charlestown, is also of interest. All are open to the public.

In popular culture

The home was prominently portrayed during the first few episodes of ''John Adams'', a 2008 American miniseries.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, John Quincy

Birthplace The place of birth (POB) or birthplace is the place where a person was born. This place is often used in legal documents, together with name and date of birth, to uniquely identify a person. Practice regarding whether this place should be a cou ...

1716 establishments in Massachusetts Adams National Historical Park Adams political family residences Birthplaces of individual people Historic house museums in Massachusetts Houses completed in 1716 Houses in Quincy, Massachusetts Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Norfolk County, Massachusetts Museums in Quincy, Massachusetts National Historic Landmarks in Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places in Quincy, Massachusetts Presidential homes in the United States Presidential museums in Massachusetts Saltbox architecture in Massachusetts Homes of United States Founding Fathers

Construction history

Later history

In popular culture

See also

References