Stone Library
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
Quincy is the home of the Stone Library, America's first presidential library. The Stone Library maintains a collection of 12,000 books that belonged to four generations of the Adams Family. The library was built in 1870 by Charles Francis, son of John Quincy Adams. Charles Francis built the Stone Library to house the family's collection of books. This is also the place where Henry Adams wrote his famous nine-volume history of the United States, and his father, the diary of John Adams, twelve volumes of memoirs of John Quincy Adams, and the letters of Abigail Adams.
Images
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
Adams National Historical Park features include the birthplaces of two American Presidents (John Adams and John Quincy Adams) and the Stone Library. The Stone Library is the first presidential library in America. It houses the books of the sixth President, John Quincy Adams and subsequent generations. The Stone Library was built in 1870 by John Quincy Adam’s son, Charles Francis Adams. He was fulfilling a request of his father, to build a fireproof structure for the purpose of safely holding his papers. John Quincy Adam’s collection also included the diaries, letters, and manuscripts of his father, John Adams, second President of the United States- these are now housed at the Massachusetts Historical Society. The authentic oak library table which was used by generations of Adams family for reading, writing and studying, stands in the library. There is also the original desk which was used by John Adams when he was President and John Quincy Adams when he was a state representative.
Sources
Adams Mansion, Stone Library, 135 Adams Street, Quincy, Norfolk County, MA. Library of Congress. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/ma0435/.
Adams National Historical Park. How Stuff Works: Adventure. http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/adams-national-historic-site.htm.
Plan Your Visit. National Park Service. Accessed April 09, 2017. https://www.nps.gov/adam/planyourvisit/index.htm.
Adams begins arguments in the Amistad case. History. Accessed April 09, 2017. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/adams-begins-arguments-in-the-amistad-case.
Collections. National Park Service. Accessed April 08, 2017. https://www.nps.gov/adam/learn/historyculture/collections.htm.