About Us

About Us

QUINCY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Founded in 1893 by local citizens led by Charles Francis Adams, Jr., Quincy Historical Society remains a community-based organization, even as it engages with subjects of national and international, as well as of local, interest.

At its home in the Adams Academy building the Society maintains archives and artifact collections. Its museum and library are open to the public year-round. It offers programs and publications in a variety of formats and media to the public and provides programs on local history in area schools.

ABOUT THE ADAMS ACADEMY BUILDING AND ITS SITE

The Adams Academy stands on the site of the birthplace of John Hancock. That house was later the home of patriots Josiah Quincy, Sr. and Josiah Quincy, Jr.

In 1822 John Adams, endowing a fund to create a college preparatory school for boys, specified that the school be built on this now empty site, to honor the memory of his patriot colleagues.

Charles Francis Adams I, John’s grandson, in the 1860s and ‘70s realized his grandfather’s vision. The Adams Academy opened in 1872. The building, designed by Boston architects William Ware and Henry Van Brunt, created innovations on Gothic Revival style and made distinctive use of Quincy granite.

Despite a distinguished faculty and a reputation for excellence, the school closed in 1907. The building was put to a variety of civic uses over the next 60 years. In the early 1970s, the Academy became the permanent home of Quincy Historical Society.

PRESERVING THE ADAMS ACADEMY

As steward of the building, the Historical Society has undertaken an ongoing program of preservation and restoration. It has restored the original cathedral ceilings in the Academy’s two main galleries; introduced adaptations that preserved the integrity of the building and made it accessible to persons with disabilities; restored the slate roofs; and extensively repointed the brick and granite façade. This work has been generously supported by the City of Quincy, the Quincy Preservation Committee, Massachusetts Historical Commission, and businesses and individuals.

In 1994 the Adams Academy was designated a National Historic Landmark for its connections with the Adams family and for its architectural significance.