The Dorothy Quincy Homestead is a US
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 ...
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
Quincy Bay is the largest of the three small bays of southern Boston Harbor, part of Massachusetts Bay and forming much of the shoreline of the city of Quincy, Massachusetts. Locally in the Wollaston neighborhood of Quincy it is known as Wollasto ...
and included the Dorothy Quincy House (1686), the
Josiah Quincy House
The Josiah Quincy House , located at 20 Muirhead Street in the Wollaston neighborhood of Quincy, Massachusetts, was the country home of Revolutionary War soldier Colonel Josiah Quincy I, the first in a line of six men named Josiah Quincy that ...
(1770), and the
Josiah Quincy Mansion
The Quincy Mansion , also known as the Josiah Quincy Mansion, was a summer home built by Josiah Quincy, Jr. in 1848. The mansion itself was situated where Angell Hall now stands on the campus of the Eastern Nazarene College. The mansion, once a ...
(1848). The Josiah Quincy Mansion, located on the property purchased by the
Eastern Nazarene College
The Eastern Nazarene College (ENC) is a private, Christian college in Quincy, Massachusetts. Established as a holiness college in Quincy, Massachusetts, in 1900, the college moved to Rhode Island for several years. With its expansion to a four-y ...
in 1919, was torn down in 1969.
The
Quincy family
The Quincy family was a prominent political family in Massachusetts from the mid-17th century through to the early 20th century. It is connected to the Adams political family through Abigail Adams.
The family estate was in Mount Wollaston, first ...
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
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 S ...
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
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 ...
. 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
John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Befor ...
, Colonel
John Quincy
Colonel John Quincy (July 21, 1689 – July 13, 1767) was an American soldier, politician and member of the Quincy political family. His granddaughter Abigail Adams named her son, the future president John Quincy Adams, after him. Two days aft ...
, and
John Hancock
John Hancock ( – October 8, 1793) was an American Founding Father, merchant, statesman, and prominent Patriot of the American Revolution. He served as president of the Second Continental Congress and was the first and third Governor of the ...
. It was the childhood home of the first First Lady of Massachusetts,
Dorothy Quincy Hancock Scott, wife of
John Hancock
John Hancock ( – October 8, 1793) was an American Founding Father, merchant, statesman, and prominent Patriot of the American Revolution. He served as president of the Second Continental Congress and was the first and third Governor of the ...
.
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 au ...
,
Georgian
Georgian may refer to:
Common meanings
* Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country)
** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group
** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians
**Georgian scripts, three scrip ...
and
Victorian 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
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 Homestead is owned by the
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.
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 ...
, 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
A historic house museum is a house of historic significance that has been transformed into a museum. Historic furnishings may be displayed in a way that reflects their original placement and usage in a home. Historic house museums are held to a v ...
. 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.
See also
*
Quincy Mansion
The Quincy Mansion , also known as the Josiah Quincy Mansion, was a summer home built by Josiah Quincy, Jr. in 1848. The mansion itself was situated where Angell Hall now stands on the campus of the Eastern Nazarene College. The mansion, once a ...
*
Josiah Quincy House
The Josiah Quincy House , located at 20 Muirhead Street in the Wollaston neighborhood of Quincy, Massachusetts, was the country home of Revolutionary War soldier Colonel Josiah Quincy I, the first in a line of six men named Josiah Quincy that ...
*
Quincy family
The Quincy family was a prominent political family in Massachusetts from the mid-17th century through to the early 20th century. It is connected to the Adams political family through Abigail Adams.
The family estate was in Mount Wollaston, first ...
*
List of the oldest buildings in Massachusetts
This article lists the oldest buildings in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States of America, including the oldest houses in Massachusetts and any other surviving structures. Some dates are approximate (indicated with a "") and b ...
*
List of National Historic Landmarks in Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has a total of 191 National Historic Landmarks (NHLs) within its borders. This is the second highest statewide total in the United States after New York, which has more than 250. Of the Massachusetts NHLs, 57 ar ...
*
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