Church of the Presidents: John Adams and Quincy Adams Graves
The Church of the Presidents, or the United First Parish Church, is in Quincy, Massachusetts, on the outskirts of Boston. It’s often called the Church of the Presidents because the second and sixth American Presidents, John Adams and his son John Quincy Adams, are forever associated with the church.
The presidents worshipped here along with their wives, Abigail Adams and Louisa Catherine Adams, respectively.
The congregation dates back to 1639 when it was known as “Ye Church of Braintry” because the surrounding area was called Braintree at the time. The current church was built in 1828 and is widely considered one of the finest Greek Revival church buildings in New England. John Adams paid for its construction, using granite mostly mined from the Adams family quarry.
My wife and I visited the Church of the Presidents on a beautiful late afternoon in early fall. We were visiting the Boston area, and the church was the last thing on our itinerary that day. We’d planned on arriving at about three to catch a tour. However, Boston traffic had different plans.
By the time we battled our way there and found parking, the church had closed for the day. Disappointed but undeterred, we snapped a few photos of the church then walked around the area, which was cool in and of itself. We walked through Hancock and Adam Common before making our way to the historic Hancock Cemetery.
Visiting the Hancock Cemetery
John Hancock is buried there. Yes, the same John Hancock signed his name very large on the Declaration of Independence. We also saw the original resting place of John, Abigail, and John Quincy Adams. It remains the final resting place for Nabby Adams, the oldest child and only surviving daughter of John and Abigail Adams. All but Nabby were later moved to the Adams Crypt beneath the church.
After walking around the Hancock Cemetery we started back towards the church and our parked car. I stopped to take a few more pictures when out of the blue someone said “Would you like to come inside?”
I turned and said, “We would love to, but it closed about an hour ago.” “It’s not a problem, I was just locking up for the day. I can give you both a quick tour if you like.” The man responded.
The President’s Graves
My wife and I both excitedly agreed and began walking up the church’s granite steps with him. As we entered the church, he rattled off dozens of historical facts and tidbits. “Over there is pew 54; that’s where the Adams sat during service.”
Next, we headed down to the Adams Crypt. The ceiling was very low, I had to duck a bit to avoid hitting my head. “Here because it’s just the two of you, I’ll open it up so you can walk in!” “Thank you so much!” I responded with pure excitement. “Normally on tours, we can’t do this because there are too many people.”
Walking into the crypt was almost surreal. It was a strange feeling for sure. To the left, John and Abigail Adams are buried. To the right, John Quincy Adams and Louisa Catherine Adams were buried. We snapped a few pictures and left.
On our way back upstairs, I asked, “Is the church affiliated with the Adams National Historical Park?” “Loosely,” he responded. We have an agreement with the National Park Service to offer tours of the Adams Crypt, but because we are an active congregation, we do not receive any federal funding.” He went on, “Tours are free to the public; donations are welcome, as the program is funded through the gifts of visitors.”
“Well, we cannot thank you enough” I said to him while putting a nice donation in the bin.
What an incredible experience. If you are in the Quincy area, please make time to check out the Church of the Presidents. I’d maybe show up during regular hours though, and not rely on the luck we received.
