Quincy House

Quincy, Massachusetts
1770

A National Historic Landmark

Built as a country estate in 1770, the Quincy House was originally surrounded by fields and pasture overlooking Quincy Bay. Its elegant architectural details, including a Chinese fretwork balustrade and classical portico, befit the status of the man who built it, the Revolutionary War leader Colonel Josiah Quincy.

Among the house's unusual features is its “monitor,” or half-story space above the roof with small windows on all sides. From this prospect Colonel Quincy had a clear view of shipping lanes in and out of Boston Harbor, and the during the months leading up to the Revolution, he spent hours watching troop movements. On October 10, 1775, he scratched “Governor Gage sail'd for England with a fair wind” into one of the windows of the monitor roof. That pane of glass was carefully preserved by the family, and is on display in the Quincy House today.

For generations, the Quincys, like the Adamses, to whom they were related, played important roles in the social and political life of Massachusetts. The family produced three mayors of Boston and a president of Harvard. Much of the historical information pertaining to the house and family was documented in the early 1880s by Eliza Susan Quincy. She kept journals, inventoried the contents of the house, commissioned photographs of the interior, and persuaded relatives to return heirlooms so that the house could become a repository of Quincy family history.

Visit Quincy House

Open

2010 Schedule
June 5, free admission
July 10
August 7
September 25
1:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Tours on the hour. Last tour at 4:00 p.m.

Admission
$5 adults
$4 seniors
$2.50 students
Free for Historic New England members and Quincy residents

Location and directions
Quincy House
20 Muirhead Street
Quincy, Mass. 02170

Map and directions

Directions detail: From the north, take I-93 to Exit 12, Route 3A (Hancock Street) to Wollaston Center. After 2.2 miles, turn left onto Elm Avenue. Turn left at stop sign, following Quincy Historic Trail signs. Jog right to Muirhead Street.

From the south, take I-93 to Exit 19, to Burgin Parkway. At sixth traffic light, turn right onto Dimmock Street. Turn left onto Hancock. Turn right onto Elm Avenue. Turn left at stop sign, following Quincy Historic Trail signs. Jog right to Muirhead Street.

Parking: There is street parking nearby.

Public transportation: MBTA Red Line to Wollaston Station. Turn left on Beale Street, walk one half mile (Beale Street turns into Beach Street after crossing Hancock Street) to Muirhead Street, turn right. House will be on your left.