This year, Independence Day coincided with another historic birthday: Quincy’s. It has been 400 years since English colonists first settled in the area now known as Quincy.
To commemorate the momentous milestone, Quincy hosted events all of Fourth of July weekend, including live music shows, a parade, and an illuminated boat display. The festivities culminated on Sunday with a showcase of Boston performers in Hancock Adams Common.
First settled in 1625, Quincy’s main claim to fame is its status as the birthplace of US presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams, as well as John Hancock, the first signatory of the Declaration of Independence. Living on the same ground as some of the nation’s founding fathers has given many Quincy residents a healthy fascination with American history.
Ever since he was a child, John Rahman remembers his parents taking him to see the Abigail Adams statue in Quincy Center every Fourth of July.
Rahman, 37, grew up several miles away in Norwell, but he says his parents were diligent about teaching him about the area’s history. On Sunday afternoon, he kept the tradition alive by standing in front of the Abigail Adams statue — a newer one than the one he’d seen growing up — in Hancock Adams Common while watching a Lexington Minutemen reenactment.
“I’ve always liked that Quincy celebrates its heritage,” Rahman said.
Now a Quincy resident himself, Rahman also cherishes the city’s history. He keeps a three-foot statue of John Quincy Adams in his apartment to remind him of his late father, who received the statue as a gift after working on its life-sized counterpart.
“It helps me remember my city’s history and my own history,” he said.
The afternoon began with a series of American history-themed musical theater songs, including “Sit Down, John” from “1776,” “You’ll Be Back” from “Hamilton,” and “Back to Before” from “Ragtime,” each preceded by historical facts about Quincy.
Afterwards, the Lexington Minutemen and Boston Alarm Company Fife & Drum took the stage dressed in Revolutionary War-era garb to perform a period-accurate march, and the evening promised entertainment from the Beantown Swing Orchestra and the Boston Lindy Hop Dancers.
For Mary Ryan, 80, the celebration was as much a chance to honor Quincy’s history as it was to enjoy the warm weather and slight breeze from her lawn chair.
“I once lived in a house that was built in 1776 in Pembroke, and ever since then I’ve been interested in history. And Quincy has a lot of it,” said the retiree, who also proudly claimed membership in the Quincy Historical Society.
Hancock Adams Common itself is rich with landmarks that boast Quincy’s long history.
As a volunteer tour guide at United First Parish Church, Joyce Tanner, 81, has been living and breathing Quincy’s history for 15 years. The church, also called “Church of the Presidents,” sits on the Common right across from Quincy City Hall, and it houses the crypt where John, Abigail, John Quincy, and Louisa Catherine Adams are buried.
Although Tanner originally hails from Ohio, she’s lived in Quincy for about 30 years and knows its history like the back of her hand.
“Quincy treasures its past,” she said. “Living here made me want to learn its history.”