Day 615 Discover Quincy Days 2013
Discover Quincy is pleased to announce the return of its “Discover Quincy Days†program being offered this year . On three Saturdays – July 13, August 10, and October 5 – visitors and residents can experience Quincy and all of its rich history for one admission price.
Participants may purchase a Discover Quincy wristband for $5 that gives them admission for the day to the Adams National Historical Park, Josiah Quincy House, Dorothy Quincy Homestead, Quincy Historical Society, and United First Parish Church.
With the purchase of a wristband, visitors can visit one, two, three, four, or all five historic sites on Discover Quincy Days. They may use their own transportation and travel from location to location or they may take advantage of a shuttle that will depart from the Quincy Historical Society and run on a continuous loop between the sites from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
In addition, participants can explore Quincy’s history by walking in the footsteps of John Adams. A Walking Tour map provides a self-guided tour for visitors from the Adams Academy/Quincy Historical Society down Hancock Street. Along the way, a variety of statues and markers, such as the John Adams and Abigail Adams/John Quincy Adams statues and Granite Ball are highlighted. At the Hancock Cemetery, located across the street from the United First Parish Church, a historical interpreter will be on hand to guide visitors through the town’s earliest cemetery.
Adams National Historical Park:
Travel back in time at the Adams National Historical Park, where you’ll visit the birthplaces of not one, but two U.S. presidents: John Adams and his son, John Quincy Adams. Your journey begins at the park’s Visitor Center in Quincy Center: After viewing the center’s exhibits and video presentation, board a trolley for the short journey to the quaint colonial saltbox birthplaces of the presidents. From there, you’ll travel to “Peacefield,†the stately Adams mansion that served as summer White House to both Adams presidents and home to generations of their descendants. While at the Adams Mansion, be sure to visit the impressive Stone Library, built to house the Adams’ collection of some 14,000 historic volumes, including the library of John Quincy Adams.
United First Parish Church:
Known as the “Church of the Presidents,†this historic church was built from Quincy granite in 1828 with funds provided by John Adams. Tours of the church include a visit to the Adams Family crypt, where John Adams, John Quincy Adams and their wives are interred.
Adams Academy/Quincy Historical Society:
Built on the site of the birthplace of legendary patriot John Hancock – and funded by an endowment left by John Adams – Adams Academy began its life in 1872 as a boys’ preparatory school, which operated until 1908. In 1972, the building was renovated by the Quincy Historical Society and is now home to the new Quincy History Museum. The museum’s exhibit – titled Quincy: Of Stone, Of Ships, of Minds, offers a comprehensive look at the city’s history from Native American times up through the early 21st century.
Dorothy Quincy Homestead
This charming colonial estate – parts of which date to 1685 – was home to generations of Quincys, one of Massachusetts’ leading families whose descendants included President John Quincy Adams and Oliver Wendell Holmes. The estate was also the childhood home of Dorothy Quincy, wife of John Hancock, the first signer of the Declaration of Independence and first governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. During the pre-Revolutionary War years, the Quincy Homestead was a meeting place for patriots such as John Adams, Josiah Quincy, Benjamin Franklin and
Discover Quincy wristbands will be sold at all of the participating historic sites on Discover Quincy Days and in advance at the Quincy Historical Society, 8 Adams Street or the Quincy Chamber of Commerce, 1400 Hancock Street, Suite 1A.