Quick History Stops: Quincy, MA

After visiting the nearby Quincy House operated by Historic New England (HNE), I made a few quick history stops in Quincy, MA, including the original homestead of the titular Quincy family, a park with signage dedicated to Native American history, and a pleasant walk along the beach.

The Dorothy Quincy Homestead

The land where the Dorothy Quincy Homestead now stands had belonged to the Quincy family since the 1630s after ancestor Edmund Quincy I (of America; his English father was also Edmund Quincy) received the land as a grant from the King of England. His son, Colonel Edmund Quincy II, built the original house in 1680. Multiple generations added rooms to the building over the next two hundred years. Notable renovations included a 1706-1708 addition by Edmund Quincy III and a 1737 addition by Edmund Quincy IV. The home gets its name from Dorothy “Dolly” Quincy Hancock Scott, daughter of Quincy IV, wife of John Hancock who infamously signed the Declaration of Independence with very large writing, and later the wife to Captain James Scott. According to The Magazine Antiques, Scott was a wealthy, successful ship captain and a friend of the Hancock family.

As for the beautiful house and grounds, while the building is open for tours only sporadically, according to signage on the gate and on the official website, the spacious lawn and gardens are open to explore from dawn to dusk. The property is jointly maintained by The National Society of Colonial Dames of America in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (NSCDA) and the Massachusetts Department of Conservation & Recreation (DCR).

Passanageset Park at Broad Meadow Marsh

Passanageset is described on the park’s official website as “the Native American name given to an area in present-day Quincy, MA”. Signage in the park told the story of the First People who came to the area around 11,000 years ago during the last Ice Age. Since 3,500 years ago, the descendents of these people are called the Massachusett, where the state received its name. Like other Indigenous people of the Americas, the Massachusett grew corn, beans, and squash; lived in matriarchal villages with members of their extended family; and practiced their own religion, including traditional Medicine Ways. European traders arrived in the area since the late 16^th century, while permanent colonial settlement came with the founding of Plymouth in 1620.

Despite disease and genocide, the Massachusett Tribe at Ponkapoag lives in their ancestral homeland to this day. Construction of the park was a collaboration between U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the City of Quincy, Neponset River Watershed Association, and Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration. The signage project was inspired by a group of seventh graders at nearby Broad Meadow Middle School and created with the help of the Massachusett Tribe, Quincy Historical Society, and Quincy Parks and Recreation Department. I love seeing community collaboration to bring local history to light! The one downside was that this park stands on a swamp and invites every mosquito in the Greater Boston area. If you visit in summer, as I did, be sure to wear protective clothing and insect repellant.

Quincy Shores Reservation

Along the 2.3 mile long Wollaston Beach of Quincy Shores Reservation is a wide sidewalk with signage describing the history of maritime Quincy. Yacht clubs sprang up along the shores of Boston Harbor in the late 19^th century with the creation of Quincy Yacht Club in 1874, Squantum Yacht Club in 1890, and Wollaston Yacht Club in 1895. All three clubs still operate to this day and participate in annual events like the Quincy Bay Race Week. Much like Beavertail Lighthouse in Jamestown, RI, this is a fun way to spend an hour or two at the beach if you prefer to learn history instead of going in the water.