Plaque Text for This Massachusetts Landmark:
Built in 1828, this church is the fourth edifice to house the town’s earliest congregation and is the final resting place of two United States Presidents and First Ladies. The building was endowed by John Adams, who specified it to be a “Temple of Stone” built of Quincy granite.
In 1826, John Quincy Adams proposed that the church become the permanent resting place of his parents, “a plain and modest monument” that “may yet be as durable as the walls of the Temple, and as the Rocks of his Native Town.” In 1852, the church also became the resting place of John Quincy and Louisa Catherine Adams.
More about First United Parish Church:
The congregation here at Quincy first gathered in Boston in 1636 then moved south three years later to become “Ye Church of Braintry.” Because of this move, the town of Braintree came to be in 1640! Puritan in origin, the church became Unitarian in 1750 and, apart from the Adams family legacy, it was also where John Hancock was baptized by his father, who was the minister here! This building came much later, however, built out of granite donated by John Adams and shaped into a Greek Revival church by Alexander Parris, who also designed the Quincy Market in Boston, Pilgrim Hall in Plymouth, and a slew of lighthouses in Maine and New York!
How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?
- Donate to the United First Parish Church!
- Donate to the Quincy Historical Society!
- Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!
How Do I Get There?
1306 Hancock Street
Quincy, MA 02169
(Take Me There!)
When Should I Visit?
Unitarian Universalist services take place on Sundays at 10:30 AM from the Sunday after Labor Day until mid-June!