Quincy, MA

Monday, May 27, 2013 Part 2

After visiting Salem we hit up Quincy, Massachusetts to see where President John Quincy Adams resided. Again, we should have visited Salem at night, and apparently we should have visited Quincy in the morning. The tickets to get into President Adams' house are taken fairly quickly, so the guide said that we should have come first thing in the morning. Next time, I guess we will know.

Headed into Boston on our drive from Salem to Quincy

Our first stop in Quincy was the house, and since we couldn't get inside, we headed to the Adams National Historic Park Visitor Center to see what else we had time for. We watched a movie on John Adams life and then we headed to the United First Parish Church of Quincy, Massachusetts or 'The Church of the Presidents' because it's where President John Adams and his son President John Quincy Adams are buried.

The congregation first gathered in 1636, the building where the congregation now meets was constructed in 1828 by the funding of President John Adams.

The domed ceiling represents a passion flower surrounded by lotuses.

The pew were the Adams family sat is marked with ribbons and flags. Apparently they went often enough to have a pew. Hee hee. I think everyone who attends church enough knows about having reserved/unreserved seating ;).

The original mahogany alter is still used today.

A model of the church. - The first bell was cast by Paul Revere but had to be melted down later because it wasn't loud enough to serve as a fire alarm.

The Adams' family crypt where President John Adams and his wife Abigail as well as President John Quincy Adams and his wife Louisa Catherine are buried.

 Looking in on the Adams family vault after we closed the gate behind us:

After our tour of the church, we crossed the street to visit the Hancock Cemetery. The cemetery dates back to the 1630's and was used as a burial ground until 1854. Like most early burial grounds, headstones or grave markers were "often impermanent or non-existent" so there are more people buried here than there are actual markers for. Many of the Adams' family members are buried here, and it was President John Adams, and a group of other citizens who purchased the burial ground and officially donated it to the town.

I loved these burial plots that are like tombs:

I kinda want me and Mike's graves to look like this. Then our kids can come sit on top and picnic when they visit us ;0).

We walked back through Quincy to the Adams' home so that we could at least walk around their beautiful gardens. It really lived up to everything that we had heard about it. It was gorgeous! I can only imagine the work it takes to maintain it. The grass stretched almost as far as you could see, and the gardens were just filled with lots of beautiful flowers. I loved it!

I definitely recommend Quincy as a place to visit, especially for those who love themselves some history. It was a great afternoon, ended a little too soon and before we knew it, we were driving back to Boston for the night.