Originally called Adams National Historic Site, the Adams National Historic Site located in Quincy, Massachusetts is unique attraction featuring the houses of five generations of the Adams family including those of John Adams and John Quincy Adams who are both former United States presidents, historians and writers Brooks Adams and Henry Adams and past U.S. Ambassador to the United States Charles Francis Adams.

The Adams National Historic Park boasts of eleven quaint residential structures that tell a narrative of the five Adams generations spanning a little more than two centuries from 1720 to 1927 with stories of the family members who contributed to the kin’s successes. Some of the more notable attractions here are the Peacefield which served as the residence of four Adams generations, the John Adams Birthplace, the John Quincy Adams Birthplace and the Stone Library.

The John Adams Birthplace is the house wherein former U.S. President John Adams was on October 30, 1735 and was purchased by his father Deacon John Adams Sr. in 1720 together with his wife Abigail Smith. The abode was built in the classic saltbox style – a wooden frame house with a roof the slopes down to the structure’s back area. It was named as a National Historic Landmark on December 19, 1960.

Another presidential birthplace located at Adams National Historical Park is the John Quincy Adams Birthplace where the sixth president of the United States John Quincy Adams was born in 1767. It is also a typical example of the traditional saltbox architecture and was also recognized as a National Historic Landmark on the same date as the birthplace of his father on December 19, 1960. The boundaries of this national historic landmark also contain a park area.

Bookworms and literature lovers who will visit Adams National Historical Park will certainly enjoy in the Stone Library which is considered to be the first presidential library and completed in 1870. It houses the more than 14,000 volumes of books owned by John Quincy Adams who specifically indicated in his will to construct the library in stone so it would not be destroyed by fire.

The United First Parish Church which was designated as Quincy’s parish church in 1639 can also be found at Adams National Historical Park and was built in the Greek Revival architectural style through the financing of John Adams. This is where John Adams and John Quincy Adams attended church service with their wives Abigail Adams and Louisa Catherin Adams, respectively. Today, the remains of the two presidential couples can be found in a family crypt beneath the church. The pew where they regularly site is also identified with a plaque and a ribbon.

The biggest property found in the national historic park is the Old House at Peacefield built in 1731 and was originally owned by sugar planter Leonard Vassall who used it as his vacation house during the summer. Also called the Old House, this mansion-like abode together with the entire 75-acre land it sits on was bought by John Adams in 1787 for 600 pounds. His family moved the year after and the next generation of Adams occupied the address until 1927. The Peacefield Old House is an expanded version of its original state and the added sections of the house were built in Gregorian style.

Those who want to visit Adams National Historical Park may coordinate with a visitor center located 1.6 kilometers from the park itself. The visitor center offers guided tour and entrance to the United First Parish Church may be secured from the congregation for minimal donation.