Quincy Center Walking Tour

• City Hall. Built in 1844 of Quincy Granite, this fine Greek Revival served as the Town House until Quincy became a city in 1888.
  
• Adams Academy. Site of the birthplace of John Hancock, President of the Continental Congress. A gift from John Adams, the former boys school is now home to the Quincy Historical Society. The site features a World War I statue and memorial and other historical exhibits.
  
• Adams National Historic Site. Four generations of the Adams family lived here. The country's second President, John Adams, bought the home in 1787.
  
• Quincy Homestead. beginning in 1685, it was the home of four generations of the Edmund Quincy family, including Dorothy Quincy, who married John Hancock.
  
• Woodward School. Founded in 1869 by Dr. Ebenezer Woodward to educate Quincy girls.
  
• Milestone Marker. The Neponset Turnpike (now Hancock Street) was a shorter route to Boston. The milestone marks 7.5 miles to the State's capital.
  
• President's Place. Built in 1990, this modern office/retail complex features a three story atrium, stores and parking garage.
  
• Site of Old Court House. The District Court of East Norfolk was established in 1872.
  
• Quincy College. Built in 1909, the building was a public school before becoming an institute for higher learning.
  
• Bethany Church. The four-foot gargoyles on his Gothic-style church are the longest in New England.
  
• Thomas Crane Public Library. Dedicated in 1882, the main building is considered a masterpiece by noted architect H.H.Richardson.
  
• United First Parish Church.Contructed in 1828, it is an excellent example of the Greek Revival period. John Adams, his wife, Abigail, John Quincy Adams and his wife, Louisa, are buried here.
  
• Hancock Cemetery.named for the Rev. Joh Hancock, whose son signed the Declaration of Independence. Dating from about 1640, the oldest headstone is dated 1666.
  
• Birthplaces of John Adams and John Quincy Adams.The two saltbox farmhouses are the earliest surviving presidential birthplaces. They are operated by the National Park Service..