While on a visit to Anne in Boston, we took the opportunity
to visit three historic sites: the
homes of our first and sixth presidents, John and John Quincy Adams;
Gloucester, the oldest fishing port in New England, and Salem, the place where
the notorious witch trials of the 17th century occurred.
The tour of the Adams homes starts in downtown Quincy, where
you board a free trolley to the homes. Quincy
is no longer a place of farms. Rather,
it is a suburb of Boston, with a bustling downtown of its own. Population is over 92,000, the 8th
largest city in the state. The city was
founded in 1625 – Massachusetts was first settled in 1620 – by mistake, as the
Mayflower’s destination was supposed to be somewhere in Virginia, but the wind
and currents determined otherwise.
Deacon John Adams farmhouse is seven miles south of Boston
and about a mile from Boston Harbor and the sea. On October 30th, 1735 (using the
Julian calendar), the future 2nd president of the USA was born in a
large (for its time) farmhouse in what was then rural Quincy
Massachusetts.
This home and another next door still
stand. These were the homes
of the Adams family for five generations.
They make up the Adams National Historic Park. Besides being the home of 2 USA Presidents, Quincy was also the birthplace of JOHN
HANCOCK, the first signer of the Declaration of Independence. You remember how he boldly signed the document that said to England "no more". The town was originally called Braintree and became Quincy in 1792.
The National Park Service offers ranger or docent led tours of each
home. Let’s start with the birth home of
John Adams. Fortunately, the guide did
not tell me that interior photos were not allowed until after I had taken a few
shots. The interior has quite low
ceilings by today’s standards; the floors are wooden, as carpeting was not
common back then. There's the harpsichord.
Only a few steps away is the home of John Adams, where his
son and sixth president John Quincy Adams, was born in 1767. This “saltbox” style home is much smaller
than his father’s farm house.
After returning from Europe, where he served as a diplomat,
his wife Abigail thought that they deserved better “digs.” They bought a farm home and 75 acres of land
about a mile from his birthplace. He
named the home “Peace Field” in honor of the peace that he helped negotiate
between Great Britain and its former colony, the USA. Over the years the house expanded in
size. Many of the exterior trees and
flowering vines trace their planting back to John’s time.
The home was owned and lived in by Adams' until the death of Brooks
Adams, in 1927. Brooks was the great
grandson of our second president. Until
Ronald Reagan surpassed him, John Adams was the longest lived president. Appropriate, this founder of the USA died on
July 4th, 1826 in the “Peace Field” home. Coincidentally, our third president, Thomas
Jefferson died the same day in his Monticello, Virginia home.
The church that the Adams’ attended still stands in downtown
Quincy and the remains of John, Abigail, John Quincy and his wife Louisa
Catherine can be visited in the church’s crypt.
Across the street from the church are buried many of
the Adams clan, along with others from long ago. John was a local boy, as this is the grave of
his great-grandfather.
Not too far away from great-grandpa is the marker for John’s
great-great grandfather, Henry Adams, who immigrated to Massachusetts during
the first years of the settlement of the colony. He fled from mother England (actually, Wales)
for religious freedom. Henry died in
1646. The love for freedom surely passed
onto his descendants.
On another fine September Day, Anne navigated the crowded
roads of the Cape Colony, where we ended up in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Gloucester is located on the Atlantic coast
and was founded way back in 1623.
The town is located
on hilly and typically New England rocky land.
By 1626 the first settlers had had enough of Gloucester and moved to
Salem (which we will return to later).
By drips and drabs, Gloucester was slowly resettled and was incorporated
in 1642. The oldest part of town is
along the marshy banks of the Annisquam River.
A local ship building industry began in 1713. It has been a fishing center ever since
then. The Atlantic Ocean (and far away
seas) have claimed the lives of over 10,000 Gloucester fishermen over the past
350 years. They are memorialized in the
town hall and in a cenotaph along a seaside street.
A monument to the waiting families also graces the seashore
If you have ever eaten Gorton’s fish sticks (perhaps in your school's lunchroom), you have
consumed the catch of Gloucester fishermen.
It was lunchtime and we feasted on some of the catch. No, that plate was for all of us, not just
me.
Today, Gloucester remains a fishing town with a busy harbor
of commercial vessels and privately owned sail and motor boats.
The Cape Ann Museum is a good place to get a glimpse of the
history and culture of Gloucester (which happens to be located on Cape
Ann). Among the artifacts you can see
there are:
Numerous paintings of the busy harbor in both calm and angry
seas;
Artifacts associated with the fishing and ship-building
industries,
And relics from the colonial period, to include silverware
made by that noted horseman and silversmith Paul Revere, who saw the redcoats
coming by land and sea.
On yet another warm and sunny September day, Anne drove us
to the famous town of Salem, site of the witchcraft trials and hangings of
1692. The city has embraced their
heritage and stores and monuments to this disgraceful period abound. It seems that the accuser ended up with the
possessions and property of the condemned.
Something akin to our seizure laws of today, where you can be stripped
of your property on the accusation of illegal activity.
Even one sculpture dedicated to a “witch” of the late 20th century,
Samantha Stevens (played by the late Elizabeth Montgomery) of the TV show “Bewitched”
On the streets, you encounter tourists, shopkeepers and
various odd looking characters, who are either tourists or shopkeepers playing wannabe occult figures. Out of politeness, I did not-photograph the weirdos. Go there and see for yourself.
Salem held a militia maneuver in 1637 and was
designated as the home of the National Guard in 2013 by President Obama.
Why we went to Salem was not to see the witch stuff, but
rather to see the home of one of Anne’s favorite authors, Nathaniel
Hawthorne. If you recollect your high
school days, you may remember having to read the “House of Seven Gables”
authored in 1851 by Hawthorne.
Hawthorne’s birthplace was in Salem.
The home dates back to 1750.
The mansion owned by his cousin Susanna Ingersoll inspired
him to write his classic novel. The
house of seven gables is opened for tours.
Only problem was that the house only had three or four gables. No problemo, simply add on to make seven gables. No interior photos allowed. Worth a tour if in the area.
After purchasing and enjoying some locally made chocolates
and taffy, we walked to the Maritime Museum, which unfortunately was about to
close. Some other time, I guess. We did get to see the ship “The Friendship of
Salem” a 2000 reconstruction of the East Indies trade ships that used to sail
out of these waters, destination China and other far away ports.
Thanks Anne for the wonderful tours. See you soon.
