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Quincy, Massachusetts: John Quincy Adams' Hearse, Maybe

Odds are 50-50 that this was used to haul the 6th President across a street in 1852.

Quincy City Hall

Address:
1305 Hancock St., Quincy, MA
Directions:
Quincy City Hall. Downtown, on the west side of Hancock St., across from the United First Parish Church.
Hours:
M-F 8:30-4:30 (Call to verify) Local health policies may affect hours and access.
Phone:
617-376-1000
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Visitor Tips and News About John Quincy Adams' Hearse, Maybe

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Museum display of a historic hearse.

John Quincy Adams' Hearse, Maybe

Inside City Hall in Quincy, Massachusetts, is the city hearse from the mid-1800s. No one currently knows if it is the hearse from 1851 or its 1866 replacement. If it is the earlier hearse, then it would have been used in December 1852 to carry the body of former President John Quincy Adams from the family tomb in Hancock Cemetery to the expanded crypt beneath the First Parish Church. The church is across the street from the cemetery, so using a hearse may seem like an unnecessary formality, but presidential funerals and reinterments tend to be elaborate. If the City Hall hearse is from 1851, then JQA took his last ride in style -- specifically, Victorian.

[Kurt Deion / kurtshistoricsites.com, 09/02/2019]
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Nearby Offbeat Places

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In the region:
Emily the Cow, Vegetarian Activist, Sherborn, MA - 19 mi.

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