The Adams Family

On our way to Prince Edward Island (in 2011), Mom and Dad and I visited Adams National Historical Park in Quincy, Massachusetts. Peacefield or Old House is the historic home of the Adams family: John Adams and his wife Abigail and John Quincy Adams and his wife Louisa. Brooks Adams, the great-great grandson of John Adams was the last one to live there. The house became a museum upon his death and was incorporated into the National Park Service in 1946. 

John and Abigail Adams

John Adams was a founding father and the second president of the United States (1797-1801). His son John Quincy was the sixth president (1825-1829). Both were one-term presidents. The elder Adams served two terms as vice president under George Washington. Abigail was Adams' closest advisor. She is one of the most highly regarded First Ladies. I don't understand how someone like Adams didn't think his wife (or women) were smart enough to vote!

Old House

Peacefield

Old Stone Library

The Stone Library, completed in 1870, stands next to Peacefield and houses personal papers and over 14,000 books that belonged to John Adams, John Quincy Adams, and other family members. The Library holds John Adams' copy of George Washington's Farewell Address as well as a Bible presented to John Quincy Adams in 1841 by the freed Mendi captives who had mutinied on the schooner La Amistad and whom Adams had successfully defended before the United States Supreme Court.

Written 15 Jan 2026