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Introducing Quincy
Like all good New England towns, Quincy, about 10 miles south of Boston, is not pronounced the obvious way: say ‘Quin-zee’ if you want to talk like the locals.
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Quincy was first settled in 1625 by a handful of raucous colonists who could not stand the strict and stoic ways in Plymouth. History has it that this group went so far as to drink beer, dance around a maypole and engage in other festive Old English customs, which enraged the Puritans down the road. Nathaniel Hawthorne immortalized this history in his fictional account, The Maypole of Merrimount. Eventually, Myles Standish arrived from Plymouth to restore order to the wayward colony.
Quincy was officially incorporated as its own entity in 1792, named after Colonel John Quincy, a respected local leader and ancestor of revolutionary Josiah Quincy and First Lady Abigail Adams.
What makes Quincy notable – and earns this town the nickname ‘The City of Presidents’ – is that it is the birthplace of the second and sixth presidents of the United States: John Adams and John Quincy Adams. The collection of houses where the Adams family lived now comprises the Adams National Historic Park.
In more recent history, Quincy is the birthplace of the Dropkick Murphys.
Last updated: Feb 17, 2009
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