Quincy Motor Tour, Part 2
Apr. 25th, 2010 11:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
earlgreytea685. Granite Quarry
This is why I don’t like Quincy. It’s full of new developments and random charmless chains. See below.
We think that might wall might be a remnant from the granite quarry, which used to be “unmistakable by its high walls of stone detritus and its derricks.” The granite quarry was “only moderately active” in 1937, as demand for granite had trailed off, but it was from here that the stone for the Bunker Hill Monument came. As far as we can tell, the quarry no longer exists. It was supposed to be opposite the West Quincy Railroad Station, which also doesn’t seem to exist anymore. This is the best we could do:
However, there is a monument to the granite workers:
Arctacuda had to wade through snow to get this shot. She managed to get a lot of it in her shoe, which resulted in my having to blast the heat while she held her foot underneath it. We were convinced she would get frostbite and have to have a toe removed, and maybe then John Simm would feel bad for her and pay her a special visit. Alas, nothing happened.
6. Co-Operative Market
No longer there. The best as we can figure, this is the place where it was supposed to be. It was founded in the early years of the twentieth century “by the Finnish residents of Quincy.” In 1937, it was doing more than $100,000 a year in business.
7. John Adams Birthplace
We’ll be honest: We think this is it, but we’re not sure, due to the poor labeling of Quincy’s historic sites. Built in 1681, it’s supposed to be a “small red clapboard salt-box farmhouse.” Obviously, this is not red, but we thought it looked like it was clapboard? Possibly? It was supposed to be surrounded “by an ancient pole fence with turnstile,” which this house seemed to be. If this is the right house, then “one of the chambers has a false front at its fireplace, the entire panel from floor to ceiling swinging to reveal a space by the chimney large enough to hold a man in concealment.” This is my favorite detail about the house, though: “In the kitchen is the bole of the giant cedar tree which witnessed the notorious Merrymount revels.” Hahahahaha! Who saved that? I love the idea of one of John Adams’s ancestors taking a souvenir from the scandalous celebration of May Day. Alas, we could not go in to see this infamous cedar tree, as all of Quincy’s attractions were closed for the winter.
8. John Quincy Adams Birthplace
Literally right next door to the John Adams Birthplace, hence the confusion. This was built in 1716. It’s supposed to be “a red clapboard salt-box farmhouse.” Again, not red. I assume it’s clapboard, but because its fence is stone and not wood, we decided this was the John Quincy Adams birthplace.
9. Abigail Adams Stone Cairn
This was the most ridiculous stop on this tour. First of all, it was confusing to get to and involved encountering a street called Verchild, which sounds to me like a Doctor Who villain, like the Master would someday say, “Careful, Doctor, or I will release…the VERCHILD MWAHAHAHAHA!” Then we found the cairn, which is “a duplicate of the Miles Standish Cairn,” for whatever that’s worth. The cairn, absurdly, “marks the spot on the summit of the hill where, during the Battle of Bunker Hill, Mrs. John Adams with her little son, John Quincy Adams, prayed for the safety of the Colonial soldiers.” The cairn really is atop a hill.
Arctacuda scrambled up this hill. I thought she was crazy, since it was snow-covered and slick. However, she was determined to do it so she could get a shot of this:
In fact, she did a dramatic reading of the plaque. This cairn was in the middle of a residential neighborhood, I’m sure the house opposite us thought we were absolutely insane. I wonder how many people drive out there to look at that cairn?
10. Robert Burns Statue
No longer there. It “was erected by the Burns Memorial Association of Quincy.” I love that one of these existed. They wanted “to honor the poet who as a lover of Freedom and Democracy penned an ode to Washington.” Who knows why the statue was removed, but it’s quite sad that it was.
11. Granite Trust Building
This is “Quincy’s skyscraper.” That is literally the only thing the 1937 book has to say about it.
12. Stone Temple, “Church of the Presidents”
Now Unitarian, this Greek Revival church was built in 1828 of Quincy granite. Apparently, “its white colonnaded portico with pediment and the open cupola soften the severe mass of the structure.” The nickname “Church of the Presidents” is derived from the fact that John Adams and John Quincy Adams both worshiped there and both are buried there. The 1937 book says the “crypt is open upon application to sexton.” Sadly, we got the church fairly late on a Sunday and it was totally closed up.
13. Old Cemetery
As you can see in this photo, across the street from the Stone Temple, it dates from 1666. Many Adamses and Quincys are buried here, but there was enough snow that we were deterred from a detailed exploration.
14. Crane Memorial Public Library
Many libraries in Massachusetts look like this, including the Cambridge Public Library, which is why I didn’t even let arctacuda get out of the car to take this photo. This library was built in 1880 and “is considered the best of H. H. Richardson’s work in this field.” You will want to know that “the stair turret is unemphasized.” “Romanesque to some degree, the design is also bold Richardsonian, with a notably original handling of fenestration, and the dominant Richardson theme – stress upon function and material – powerfully expressed.”
15. Dorothy Quincy Mansion
Built between 1706 and 1709, this “a spacious hip-roofed mansion.” Dorothy Quincy, a “spirited girl,” was born here and grew up here, before moving to Beacon Hill when she married John Hancock. “A feature of the house is a secret chamber which repeatedly afforded asylum to pursued Colonial troopers.’
And back to Boston!
This is why I don’t like Quincy. It’s full of new developments and random charmless chains. See below.
We think that might wall might be a remnant from the granite quarry, which used to be “unmistakable by its high walls of stone detritus and its derricks.” The granite quarry was “only moderately active” in 1937, as demand for granite had trailed off, but it was from here that the stone for the Bunker Hill Monument came. As far as we can tell, the quarry no longer exists. It was supposed to be opposite the West Quincy Railroad Station, which also doesn’t seem to exist anymore. This is the best we could do:
However, there is a monument to the granite workers:
Arctacuda had to wade through snow to get this shot. She managed to get a lot of it in her shoe, which resulted in my having to blast the heat while she held her foot underneath it. We were convinced she would get frostbite and have to have a toe removed, and maybe then John Simm would feel bad for her and pay her a special visit. Alas, nothing happened.
6. Co-Operative Market
No longer there. The best as we can figure, this is the place where it was supposed to be. It was founded in the early years of the twentieth century “by the Finnish residents of Quincy.” In 1937, it was doing more than $100,000 a year in business.
7. John Adams Birthplace
We’ll be honest: We think this is it, but we’re not sure, due to the poor labeling of Quincy’s historic sites. Built in 1681, it’s supposed to be a “small red clapboard salt-box farmhouse.” Obviously, this is not red, but we thought it looked like it was clapboard? Possibly? It was supposed to be surrounded “by an ancient pole fence with turnstile,” which this house seemed to be. If this is the right house, then “one of the chambers has a false front at its fireplace, the entire panel from floor to ceiling swinging to reveal a space by the chimney large enough to hold a man in concealment.” This is my favorite detail about the house, though: “In the kitchen is the bole of the giant cedar tree which witnessed the notorious Merrymount revels.” Hahahahaha! Who saved that? I love the idea of one of John Adams’s ancestors taking a souvenir from the scandalous celebration of May Day. Alas, we could not go in to see this infamous cedar tree, as all of Quincy’s attractions were closed for the winter.
8. John Quincy Adams Birthplace
Literally right next door to the John Adams Birthplace, hence the confusion. This was built in 1716. It’s supposed to be “a red clapboard salt-box farmhouse.” Again, not red. I assume it’s clapboard, but because its fence is stone and not wood, we decided this was the John Quincy Adams birthplace.
9. Abigail Adams Stone Cairn
This was the most ridiculous stop on this tour. First of all, it was confusing to get to and involved encountering a street called Verchild, which sounds to me like a Doctor Who villain, like the Master would someday say, “Careful, Doctor, or I will release…the VERCHILD MWAHAHAHAHA!” Then we found the cairn, which is “a duplicate of the Miles Standish Cairn,” for whatever that’s worth. The cairn, absurdly, “marks the spot on the summit of the hill where, during the Battle of Bunker Hill, Mrs. John Adams with her little son, John Quincy Adams, prayed for the safety of the Colonial soldiers.” The cairn really is atop a hill.
Arctacuda scrambled up this hill. I thought she was crazy, since it was snow-covered and slick. However, she was determined to do it so she could get a shot of this:
In fact, she did a dramatic reading of the plaque. This cairn was in the middle of a residential neighborhood, I’m sure the house opposite us thought we were absolutely insane. I wonder how many people drive out there to look at that cairn?
10. Robert Burns Statue
No longer there. It “was erected by the Burns Memorial Association of Quincy.” I love that one of these existed. They wanted “to honor the poet who as a lover of Freedom and Democracy penned an ode to Washington.” Who knows why the statue was removed, but it’s quite sad that it was.
11. Granite Trust Building
This is “Quincy’s skyscraper.” That is literally the only thing the 1937 book has to say about it.
12. Stone Temple, “Church of the Presidents”
Now Unitarian, this Greek Revival church was built in 1828 of Quincy granite. Apparently, “its white colonnaded portico with pediment and the open cupola soften the severe mass of the structure.” The nickname “Church of the Presidents” is derived from the fact that John Adams and John Quincy Adams both worshiped there and both are buried there. The 1937 book says the “crypt is open upon application to sexton.” Sadly, we got the church fairly late on a Sunday and it was totally closed up.
13. Old Cemetery
As you can see in this photo, across the street from the Stone Temple, it dates from 1666. Many Adamses and Quincys are buried here, but there was enough snow that we were deterred from a detailed exploration.
14. Crane Memorial Public Library
Many libraries in Massachusetts look like this, including the Cambridge Public Library, which is why I didn’t even let arctacuda get out of the car to take this photo. This library was built in 1880 and “is considered the best of H. H. Richardson’s work in this field.” You will want to know that “the stair turret is unemphasized.” “Romanesque to some degree, the design is also bold Richardsonian, with a notably original handling of fenestration, and the dominant Richardson theme – stress upon function and material – powerfully expressed.”
15. Dorothy Quincy Mansion
Built between 1706 and 1709, this “a spacious hip-roofed mansion.” Dorothy Quincy, a “spirited girl,” was born here and grew up here, before moving to Beacon Hill when she married John Hancock. “A feature of the house is a secret chamber which repeatedly afforded asylum to pursued Colonial troopers.’
And back to Boston!
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no subject
Date: 2010-04-26 03:32 am (UTC)Second, do you think if I had *actually* lost the toe, John Simm would now be mine? I like to think so. Also, John, if you are reading this, just say the word and the toe is gone.
no subject
Date: 2010-04-27 02:25 am (UTC)Oh, I *know* John Simm would be yours if you'd lost your toe. But you have to lost it organically for it to work.
no subject
Date: 2010-04-26 01:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-04-27 02:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-04-26 02:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-04-26 06:56 pm (UTC)And you need to go back again in summer so you can see all the stuff that was shut up or covered in snow. ;-)
no subject
Date: 2010-04-27 02:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-04-27 02:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-04-27 01:06 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-04-27 02:42 am (UTC)hydrogen generator
Date: 2011-02-18 09:26 am (UTC)