Adams National
Historical Park
Adams National Historical Park was called the
Adams National Historic Site, and is located in Quincy,
Massachusetts, preserving the house and home of Presidents of
the United States John Adams and John Quincy Adams, and US
ambassador to Great Britain, Charles Francis Adams, as well as
writers and historians, Brooks Adams and Henry Adams. The park
contains eleven structures that describe the story of five
generations of the Adams family, from 1720 to 1927, and include
the presidents, first ladies, US ministers, historian, writers
and family members that supported and contributed to the success
of their family and country. Besides Peacefield, the home of
four generations of the family, the park's main historic
features include the John Adams birthplace, the Stone Library
built in 1870 to house the books of John Quincy Adams and could
be considered the First presidential library and has over 14,000
historical volumes in twelve languages and the nearby John
Quincy Adams birthplace. The visitor center is located less than
a mile from the park, and regular tours of the houses are
offered during the season from April 19, to November 10, using
guided tours only, and a tourist trolley between the sites that
has been supplied by the park service. The house is a National
Historic Landmark and in 1720 was bought by Deacon John Adams,
Sr., the father of the future second president, who lived there
until 1764, when he would marry Abigail Smith, and just a couple
of feet from the birthplace of John Quincy Adams. The old house
at Peacefield was originally built in 1731 for Leonard Vassall,
a sugar planter, and would become his summer house. It would be
empty for quite a while, with its 75 acres, before it was bought
by Adams in 1787 for 600 pounds. The Adams family would move in
the next year and keep it occupied until 1927, when it would be
sold to the Adams Memorial Society.
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