Description
Did you know that four generations of the Adams family lived in the Old House at Peace field? This includes two first ladies, three ambassadors to Great Britain, and a Pulitzer Prize winner! Besides the tour for four adults, winning bidder will receive "John Adams," "the Pulitzer Prize?winning, bestselling biography of America?s founding father and second president that was the basis for the acclaimed HBO series, brilliantly told by master historian David McCullough."
"Adams National Historical Park was designated as part of the National Park Service in 1946 to commemorate the distinguished men and women of the Adams family who dedicated their lives to the development and service of the United States. The thirteen-acre park is comprised of the Birthplaces of John Adams and John Quincy Adams; the Old House at Peace field, home to four generations of the Adams family;and the Stone Library. The park Visitor Center is located in Quincy Center and sits halfway between the birthplace homes and the Old House at Peace field. Tours begin at the Visitor Center, where a trolley will transport you to the historic homes. We recommend planning on 2 1/2 to 3 hours to tour the park."
Book, "John Adams" by David McCullough:
"The Pulitzer Prize?winning, bestselling biography of America?s founding father and second president that was the basis for the acclaimed HBO series, brilliantly told by master historian David McCullough.
In this powerful, epic biography, David McCullough unfolds the adventurous life journey of John Adams, the brilliant, fiercely independent, often irascible, always honest Yankee patriot who spared nothing in his zeal for the American Revolution; who rose to become the second president of the United States and saved the country from blundering into an unnecessary war; who was learned beyond all but a few and regarded by some as ?out of his senses?; and whose marriage to the wise and valiant Abigail Adams is one of the moving love stories in American history.
This is history on a grand scale?a book about politics and war and social issues, but also about human nature, love, religious faith, virtue, ambition, friendship, and betrayal, and the far-reaching consequences of noble ideas. Above all, John Adams is an enthralling, often surprising story of one of the most important and fascinating Americans who ever lived."
Tours:
Tours of the park leave from the Visitor Center daily during our open season (April 19 - November 10) and are offered on a first-come, first serve basis. Tours depart the Visitor Center on a trolley which will bring you to the Presidential Birthplaces where you will be dropped off for a guided tour with a Park Ranger. After this half hour tour the trolley will then bring you to the Old House where you will have an hour long guided tour with a Park Ranger. The trolley will then pick you back up and return you to the Visitor Center.
Allow at least 3 hours for a full park tour. The cost of the tour is $15.00 for adults, under 16 are free. All National Park Passes are honored. Please be aware that the only restrooms for the park are located at the Visitor Center.
The houses are old and were built as family homes, not tourist attractions, and some rooms have limited space. For the protection of the historic homes and artifacts, and quality of the visitor experience, a maximum of 10 visitors per tour is allowed. For these reasons, and for the safety and security of the staff and our visitors, large bags and backpacks are not permitted in the historic homes. Be advised that the park does not have storage lockers for these items and we recommend they be left in your vehicle or at your hotel."
Sample Tour Itinerary:
"Begin at the Park Visitor Center
Browse the bookstore and obtain tickets for house tours (15 minutes)
View park film: Enduring Legacy (26 minutes)
Board trolley Adams Birthplaces (15 minutes)
Tour John Adams and John Quincy Adams Birthplaces (30 minutes)
Board trolley to the Old House at Peace field (15 minutes)
Tour the Old House at Peace field and stroll the grounds (1 hour)
Board trolley to Visitor Center (15 minutes)
Total Time: 3 hours"
"1250 Hancock Street, Quincy, MA. Visitor Center:
Begin your Adams experience at the park Visitor Center, located at 1250 Hancock Street, Quincy, MA, and view the orientation film, Enduring Legacy: Four Generations of the Adams Family, a 26 minute film introducing the remarkable Adams family. Browse the park bookstore for even more information and a variety of souvenirs to remind you of your visit to this historical park and the contributions of four generations of the Adams family to the history and development of the United States.
All Aboard!
Park your car in the garage and leave the rest to us! Ride the free trolley service from the Visitor Center to the John Adams and John Quincy Adams Birthplaces and "Old House at Peace field."
John Adams Birthplace:
What early influences shaped the character of the second President of the United States? Join a Park Ranger and tour the birthplace home of Patriot, Diplomat, President; John Adams.
John Quincy Adams Birthplace:
Tour the home where John Adams drafted the Massachusetts Constitution, where Abigail served as Patriot on the Homefront during the Revolutionary War, and where 6th United States President, John Quincy Adams was born.
The Old House at Peace Field:
Walk in the footsteps of four generations of the Adams family and see their home just as they left it to the people of the United States, under the stewardship of the National Park Service.
Stone Library:
Thinking of starting your own library? View the 12,000 volumes in the Stone Library. Four generations of the Adams family were avid book collectors. In their lifetime they built a library collection to include the fields of classics, literature, history, language and linguistics, economics, travel, and geography."
Item Special Note
Abigail Adams
1744 - 1818
"I wish most sincerely there was not a Slave in the province. It allways appeard a most iniquitious Scheme to me-fight ourselfs for what we are daily robbing and plundering from those who have as good a right to freedom as we have. You know my mind upon this Subject.
"Abigail Adams, letter to John Adams, 22 September 1774
John Adams
1735 - 1826
"Posterity! You will never know, how much it cost the present generation, to preserve your Freedom! I hope you make good Use of it! If you do not, I shall repent in Heaven, that I ever took half the Pains to preserve it." John Adams, letter to Abigail, 26 April 1777
John Quincy Adams
1767 ?1848
"During the whole course of my political life I have held myself bound in allegiance to no political party, but to my Country, my whole Country, and nothing but my Country ?" John Quincy Adams to Russell Freeman, 12 October 1835
Louisa Catherine Adams
1775 - 1852 "Went out to Quincy ?Weather so severely Cold could not endure it, and was very ill all the time I staid ?Quincy! What shall I say of my impressions of Quincy! Had I steped into Noah's Ark I do not think I could have been more utterly astonished ? Dr. Tufts! Deacon French! Mr. Cranch, Old Uncle Peter! and Capt Beale!!!" Louisa Catherine Adams, Adventures of a Nobody, 1 July 1840
Charles Francis Adams
1806 - 1886 "I have the misfortune of being the descendant of two great men and must do something to avoid the charge of utter degeneracy. "Diary of Charles Francis Adams, 3 October 1835
Henry Adams
1838 - 1918 "Man has mounted science, and is now run away with. I firmly believe that before many centuries more, science will be the master of men. The engines he will have invented will be beyond his strength to control. Someday science may have the existence of mankind in its power, and the human race commit suicide, by blowing up the world. Not only shall we be able to cruise in space, but I'll be hanged if I see any reason why some future generation shouldn't walk off like a beetle with the world on its back, or give it another rotary motion so that every zone should receive in turn its due portion of heat and light."
Henry Brooks Adams,Letter to Charles Francis Adams Jr., London, 11 April 1862. In J. C. Levenson, E. Samuels, C. Vandersee and V. Hopkins Winner (eds.), The Letters of Henry Adams: 1858-1868 (1982), Vol. 1, 290