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History of Quincy, Massachusetts, USA
Journey back in time to Quincy, Massachusetts, USA
Visit Quincy, Massachusetts, USA. Discover its history. Learn about the people who lived there through stories, old newspaper articles, pictures, postcards and ancestry.Do You Have Quincy Roots? Share MY Ancestral Story!

Quincy, Norfolk, Massachusetts, USA
Quincy is a namesake of Col. John Quincy.
How New England Towns Received Their Names
The Day
New London, Connecticut
October 21, 1914
Fun fact: Qunicy is the home to both the first Dunkin Donuts and the first Howard Johnson's.
Quincy includes: Quincy Adams Station, Squantum, St. Moritz, Wollaston Station, Adams Shore, Atlantic Station, Barry's Corner, Germantown, Hough's Neck, Merrymont, Montclair Station, and Norfolk Downs.
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There is MUCH more to discover about Quincy, Massachusetts, USA. Read on!
Discover Quincy: History, News, Travel, and Stories

1826 - First American Railroad
The first railroad, three miles long, was opened in 1826, at Quincy, Mass.
Newburgh Daily Journal
Newburgh, New York
June 13, 1893
The first railroad, three miles long, was opened in 1826, at Quincy, Mass.
Newburgh Daily Journal
Newburgh, New York
June 13, 1893
1839 - Quincy
Quincy, Massachusetts
Norfolk county. The territory of Quincy was a part of ancient Braintree, until 1792. It lies on Braintree or Quincy bay, in Boston harbor, and is bounded on the N.W. by Neponset river and the town of Milton. It is 8 miles S. by E. from Boston and 10 E. by S. from Dedham. Population, 1820, 1,623; 1830, 2,192; 1837, 3,049.
The surface of the town is diversified by hills, valleys and plains. Back from the bay about 3 miles is a range of elevated land, in some parts more than 600 feet above the sea, containing an inexhaustible supply of granite. This is the source of "Quincy Granite," a building material justly celebrated in all our cities for its durability and beauty. Vast quantities of this admirable stone are annually quarried and wrought in this vicinity by the most skillful workmen, into all dimensions, both plain and ornamental; and it is fortunate for the public that the supply is abundant, for the demand for it from various parts of the United States is... Read MORE...
Quincy, Massachusetts
Norfolk county. The territory of Quincy was a part of ancient Braintree, until 1792. It lies on Braintree or Quincy bay, in Boston harbor, and is bounded on the N.W. by Neponset river and the town of Milton. It is 8 miles S. by E. from Boston and 10 E. by S. from Dedham. Population, 1820, 1,623; 1830, 2,192; 1837, 3,049.
The surface of the town is diversified by hills, valleys and plains. Back from the bay about 3 miles is a range of elevated land, in some parts more than 600 feet above the sea, containing an inexhaustible supply of granite. This is the source of "Quincy Granite," a building material justly celebrated in all our cities for its durability and beauty. Vast quantities of this admirable stone are annually quarried and wrought in this vicinity by the most skillful workmen, into all dimensions, both plain and ornamental; and it is fortunate for the public that the supply is abundant, for the demand for it from various parts of the United States is... Read MORE...
1845 - QUINCY. [Pop. 3,486. Inc. 1722.]
This town was originally settled in 1625, and was the first parish
of Braintree.
It was called Mount Wollaston, after Captain Wollaston, the chief
settler ; then Merry Mount, by some licentious persons led by one Morton ; and, finally, Quincy, from the distinguished family of that name.
Quincy has had the rare fortune to give birth to two Presidents of the United States, John Adams, and John Quincy Adams, his son.
The hills of Quincy furnished the stone of which Bunker Hill Monument, and many other splendid structures, are built ; and the railroad, that conveys the stone to the landing, was the first in the United States.
Next to stone the most valuable manufacture is boots and shoes.
Distance from Dedham, 10 miles; from Boston, 7.
An Elementary Geography for Massachusetts Children by William Bentley Fowle and Asa Fitz, 1845
Get it HERE!
This town was originally settled in 1625, and was the first parish
of Braintree.
It was called Mount Wollaston, after Captain Wollaston, the chief
settler ; then Merry Mount, by some licentious persons led by one Morton ; and, finally, Quincy, from the distinguished family of that name.
Quincy has had the rare fortune to give birth to two Presidents of the United States, John Adams, and John Quincy Adams, his son.
The hills of Quincy furnished the stone of which Bunker Hill Monument, and many other splendid structures, are built ; and the railroad, that conveys the stone to the landing, was the first in the United States.
Next to stone the most valuable manufacture is boots and shoes.
Distance from Dedham, 10 miles; from Boston, 7.
An Elementary Geography for Massachusetts Children by William Bentley Fowle and Asa Fitz, 1845
Get it HERE!
1854 - Quincy
Quincy, a post-township of Norfolk county, Massachusetts, bordering on Quincy bay, in Boston harbor, and intersected by the Old Colony railroad, 8 miles S. by E. from Boston. It is celebrated for its quarries of granite, commonly known as Quincy granite, which is exported in great quantities to all parts of the Union. About 1000 persons are constantly employed in working it. Blocks have often been quarried weighing as high as 300 tons. The first railroad ever constructed in America was here put in operation in 1826, for the purpose of transporting the granite from its bed to tide-water, in Neponset river, a distance of 3 miles. The village, which is considered remarkably beautiful, is situated on an elevated plain near the centre of the township. In a stone church, completed in 1828, at a cost of $40,000, is a beautiful marble monument, erected to the memory of John Adams and his wife. The town house, a fine granite edifice, 85 feet by 65, is deserving of notice. One newspaper is... Read MORE...
Quincy, a post-township of Norfolk county, Massachusetts, bordering on Quincy bay, in Boston harbor, and intersected by the Old Colony railroad, 8 miles S. by E. from Boston. It is celebrated for its quarries of granite, commonly known as Quincy granite, which is exported in great quantities to all parts of the Union. About 1000 persons are constantly employed in working it. Blocks have often been quarried weighing as high as 300 tons. The first railroad ever constructed in America was here put in operation in 1826, for the purpose of transporting the granite from its bed to tide-water, in Neponset river, a distance of 3 miles. The village, which is considered remarkably beautiful, is situated on an elevated plain near the centre of the township. In a stone church, completed in 1828, at a cost of $40,000, is a beautiful marble monument, erected to the memory of John Adams and his wife. The town house, a fine granite edifice, 85 feet by 65, is deserving of notice. One newspaper is... Read MORE...
1888 - Quincy is incorporated as a city
Massachusetts City and Town Incorporation and Settlement Dates
Massachusetts City and Town Incorporation and Settlement Dates
1890 Quincy Massachusetts
QUINCY is a handsome city in the northeastern part of Norfolk County, eight miles southeast of Boston by the Old Colony Railroad. The stations are at Quincy, Atlantic, Wollaston, West Quincy and Quincy Adams, which are also post-offices and villages. The other villages are North Quincy, French Village, Germantown, East Quincy, Squantum, Hough's Neck, Wollaston Heights, Quincy Point and South Quincy. The last two also are post-offices. The assessed area of the city is 8,630 acres. The number of dwelling-houses is about 2,500, and the population, 12,145.
The city is bounded on the northwest by the Dorchester district of Boston, on the northeast by Boston Harbor, south by Braintree and Randolph, and west by Milton. The form is very irregular, having Squantum Neck at the northeast, and Hough's Neck at the southeast, with a long southwesterly projection. The territory is remarkable for its eminences, situated mostly in the southwest part; though Mount Wollaston is near the shore on the... Read MORE...
QUINCY is a handsome city in the northeastern part of Norfolk County, eight miles southeast of Boston by the Old Colony Railroad. The stations are at Quincy, Atlantic, Wollaston, West Quincy and Quincy Adams, which are also post-offices and villages. The other villages are North Quincy, French Village, Germantown, East Quincy, Squantum, Hough's Neck, Wollaston Heights, Quincy Point and South Quincy. The last two also are post-offices. The assessed area of the city is 8,630 acres. The number of dwelling-houses is about 2,500, and the population, 12,145.
The city is bounded on the northwest by the Dorchester district of Boston, on the northeast by Boston Harbor, south by Braintree and Randolph, and west by Milton. The form is very irregular, having Squantum Neck at the northeast, and Hough's Neck at the southeast, with a long southwesterly projection. The territory is remarkable for its eminences, situated mostly in the southwest part; though Mount Wollaston is near the shore on the... Read MORE...
1890 - DEAD BY DOZENS. THE GRIM TERROR REAPS A GHASTLY HARVEST. FRIGHTFUL DISASTER ON THE RAIL. SIXTEEN SOULS HURRIED TO ETERNITY AND MORE THAN A SCORE OF PEOPLE SCALDED AND MUTILATED.
Boston, Aug. 20. - The Cape Cod and Woods' Hole train on the Old Colony railway was wrecked at Quincy, just the other side of the President's bridge at 1 p.m. yesterday. The disaster was a frightful one, resulting in the death of about twenty persons and the wounding of many others, some of whom are terribly scalded or mutilated. The train was express to Brockton, and from Brockton express to Boston. It left Brockton at 10:40, going at say thirty miles an hour. Just this side of President's bridge (so called because the homestead of President John Quincy Adams is close by) the engineer whistled to "down brakes." The train began to shake as if shivered by the shock of an earthquake. Then came a crash, the engine left the track, turned itself alongside the rails, while the train slid along, leaving the engine about midway of the train opposite the first passenger car from the smoker. In this car most all the harm was done.
In the Fatal Fourth Car.
This fourth car collided with the ... Read MORE...
Boston, Aug. 20. - The Cape Cod and Woods' Hole train on the Old Colony railway was wrecked at Quincy, just the other side of the President's bridge at 1 p.m. yesterday. The disaster was a frightful one, resulting in the death of about twenty persons and the wounding of many others, some of whom are terribly scalded or mutilated. The train was express to Brockton, and from Brockton express to Boston. It left Brockton at 10:40, going at say thirty miles an hour. Just this side of President's bridge (so called because the homestead of President John Quincy Adams is close by) the engineer whistled to "down brakes." The train began to shake as if shivered by the shock of an earthquake. Then came a crash, the engine left the track, turned itself alongside the rails, while the train slid along, leaving the engine about midway of the train opposite the first passenger car from the smoker. In this car most all the harm was done.
In the Fatal Fourth Car.
This fourth car collided with the ... Read MORE...
1895 - Quincy
Quincy, quin've, a fine city of Norfolk co., Mass., on the Old Colony Railroad, 8 miles S. of Boston, and 14 miles from the sea. It is bounded on the N.E. by Massachusetts Bay. It contains a number of churches, a granite town hail, 2 national banks, a savings-bank, printing-offices which issue 1 daily and 2 weekly newspapers, a high school, a public library, and the well-endowed Adams Academy, founded in 1872; also quarries of the celebrated Quincy granite, which is exported to nearly all parts of the Union. Quincy was the birthplace of John Hancock, of John Adams, second president of the United States, and of his son, John Quincy Adams. Pop, in 1880, 10,570; in 1890, 16,723.
Lippincott's Gazetteer of the World: A Complete Pronouncing Gazetteer Or Geographical Dictionary of the World Containing Notices of Over One Hundred and Twenty-five Thousand Places ... Joseph Thomas January 1, 1895 J.B. Lippincott
Quincy, quin've, a fine city of Norfolk co., Mass., on the Old Colony Railroad, 8 miles S. of Boston, and 14 miles from the sea. It is bounded on the N.E. by Massachusetts Bay. It contains a number of churches, a granite town hail, 2 national banks, a savings-bank, printing-offices which issue 1 daily and 2 weekly newspapers, a high school, a public library, and the well-endowed Adams Academy, founded in 1872; also quarries of the celebrated Quincy granite, which is exported to nearly all parts of the Union. Quincy was the birthplace of John Hancock, of John Adams, second president of the United States, and of his son, John Quincy Adams. Pop, in 1880, 10,570; in 1890, 16,723.
Lippincott's Gazetteer of the World: A Complete Pronouncing Gazetteer Or Geographical Dictionary of the World Containing Notices of Over One Hundred and Twenty-five Thousand Places ... Joseph Thomas January 1, 1895 J.B. Lippincott
1906
Quincy, a city of Norfolk co., Mass., on the New York, New Haven and Hartford R., 8 miles SE. of the centre of Boston and 1 1/ 2 miles from the seas. It has a boat-yard, manufactures of boots and shoes, brass and iron, soap, oils and chemicals, etc. It is the seat of the Thomas Crane Library, and Woodward Institute. Here are large quantities of the celebrated Quincy granite, which is exported to nearly all parts of the Union. The railroad constructed in 1826-27 for the transportation of the granite for the Bunker Hill Monument, about 3 miles long and operated by horse-power, was the first railroad in the United States. Quincy is the birthplace of John Hancock, of John Adams, second president of the United States, and of his son, John Quincy Adams. Pop. in 1900, 23,899. Quincy includes several villages within its municipal limits.
Lippincott's New Gazetteer: A Complete Pronouncing Gazetteer Or Geographical Dictionary of the World, Containing the Most Recent and Authentic Information Respecting the Countries, Cities, Towns ... in Every Portion of the Globe Publisher J.B. Lippincott Company, 1906
Quincy, a city of Norfolk co., Mass., on the New York, New Haven and Hartford R., 8 miles SE. of the centre of Boston and 1 1/ 2 miles from the seas. It has a boat-yard, manufactures of boots and shoes, brass and iron, soap, oils and chemicals, etc. It is the seat of the Thomas Crane Library, and Woodward Institute. Here are large quantities of the celebrated Quincy granite, which is exported to nearly all parts of the Union. The railroad constructed in 1826-27 for the transportation of the granite for the Bunker Hill Monument, about 3 miles long and operated by horse-power, was the first railroad in the United States. Quincy is the birthplace of John Hancock, of John Adams, second president of the United States, and of his son, John Quincy Adams. Pop. in 1900, 23,899. Quincy includes several villages within its municipal limits.
Lippincott's New Gazetteer: A Complete Pronouncing Gazetteer Or Geographical Dictionary of the World, Containing the Most Recent and Authentic Information Respecting the Countries, Cities, Towns ... in Every Portion of the Globe Publisher J.B. Lippincott Company, 1906
1911 - Auto Accident
Four year old Daniel Dhooge ran from his home on Glen Cove place, Quincy, yesterday afternoon out on to the street, directly in the path of an automobile. The machine struck him and knocked him down. He was picked up and taken to the Quincy Hospital, where physicians have little hopes of his recovery. The automobile is owned by William N. McKenna, Jr., of 1551 Center street, Roslindale.
The Boston Journal
Boston, Massachusetts
September 4, 1911
Four year old Daniel Dhooge ran from his home on Glen Cove place, Quincy, yesterday afternoon out on to the street, directly in the path of an automobile. The machine struck him and knocked him down. He was picked up and taken to the Quincy Hospital, where physicians have little hopes of his recovery. The automobile is owned by William N. McKenna, Jr., of 1551 Center street, Roslindale.
The Boston Journal
Boston, Massachusetts
September 4, 1911
1961 - First Nuclear-Powered Surface Vessel
First nuclear-powered surface vessel launched at Quincy
First nuclear-powered surface vessel launched at Quincy
Here's a list of the best places to go and things to do in Quincy:
Adams National Historical Park:
Start your visit to Quincy with a trip to Adams National Historical Park. This park preserves the birthplaces, homes, and burial places of the second and sixth Presidents of the United States, John Adams and John Quincy Adams. You can take guided tours of the historic houses, explore beautiful gardens, and learn about the lives of these influential figures in American history.
Quincy Quarries Reservation:
For outdoor enthusiasts, Quincy Quarries Reservation is a must-visit. It's a former granite quarry that has been transformed into a rock climbing destination. Even if you're not into climbing, it's a great place for a hike or a picnic. The graffiti-covered cliffs make it a unique and picturesque spot for photography.
Wollaston Beach:
Quincy boasts a scenic coastline along Quincy Bay, and Wollaston Beach is one of the highlights. It's a perfect spot for a leisurely walk, sunbathing, or swimming during the summer months. There are also numerous... Read MORE...
Adams National Historical Park:
Start your visit to Quincy with a trip to Adams National Historical Park. This park preserves the birthplaces, homes, and burial places of the second and sixth Presidents of the United States, John Adams and John Quincy Adams. You can take guided tours of the historic houses, explore beautiful gardens, and learn about the lives of these influential figures in American history.
Quincy Quarries Reservation:
For outdoor enthusiasts, Quincy Quarries Reservation is a must-visit. It's a former granite quarry that has been transformed into a rock climbing destination. Even if you're not into climbing, it's a great place for a hike or a picnic. The graffiti-covered cliffs make it a unique and picturesque spot for photography.
Wollaston Beach:
Quincy boasts a scenic coastline along Quincy Bay, and Wollaston Beach is one of the highlights. It's a perfect spot for a leisurely walk, sunbathing, or swimming during the summer months. There are also numerous... Read MORE...
Discover MY Roots: Quincy Ancestry
Ancestors Who Were Born or Died in Quincy, Massachusetts, USA
We currently have information about 228 ancestors who were born or died in Quincy.View Them Now (sorted by year of birth)
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Genealogy Resources for Quincy
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