Quincy in Norfolk County, Massachusetts — The American Northeast (New England)
Abigail Adams Cairn
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, August 23, 2017
1. Abigail Adams Cairn Marker
John Quincy Adams,
then a boy of seven, by her side,
Abigail Adams
watched the smoke of burning Charlestown,
while listening to the guns of Bunker Hill.
Saturday, 17 June, 1775.
< Lower Marker : >
The Adams Chapter of Quincy Mass.
of the Society of the
Daughters of the Revolution
have caused this memorial
to be erected June 17, 1896.
< Third Marker : >
“The day, perhaps the decisive
day is come on which the fate
of America depends.
My bursting heart must find
vent at my pen.”
Abigail Adams, June 18, 1775
This Cairn, rebuilt with the
original stones, rededicated
by grateful citizens, as a
symbol of indomitable
human quest for freedom
July 11, 2009
Erected 1896 by The Adams Chapter of Quincy Mass. of the Society of the Daughters of the Revolution.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Revolutionary. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #06 John Quincy Adams series list. A significant historical date for this entry is June 17, 1775.
Location. 42° 14.031′ N, 70° 59.853′ W. Marker is in Quincy, Massachusetts, in Norfolk County. Marker is at the intersection
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Adams National Historical Park (approx. half a mile away); Liberty Tree Park (approx. 0.8 miles away); Burns (approx. 1.1 miles away); Henry Adams (approx. 1.2 miles away); Colonel John Quincy (approx. 1.2 miles away); Hancock Cemetery (approx. 1.2 miles away); The Men of Quincy, Mass. (approx. 1.2 miles away); a different marker also named Hancock Cemetery (approx. 1.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Quincy.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, August 23, 2017
2. Lower Marker
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, August 23, 2017
3. Third Marker
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, August 23, 2017
4. Abigail Adams Cairn Marker
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, August 23, 2017
5. Abigail Adams Cairn
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, December 31, 2014
6. Abigail Smith Adams
This 1800 / 1815 portrait of Abigail Smith Adams by Gilbert Stuart hangs in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.
“Mrs. John Adams felt that ‘if we mean to have heroes, statesmen and philosophers, we should have learned women.’ Stuart's portrait, begun when the first lady was fifty-six, captures the patrician beauty of her straight nose and arched brows. The forthright painting also leaves little doubt about the force of character, intellect, and principles of this daughter of a Massachusetts minister.
This likeness was Stuart's only completed picture of Abigail Smith Adams. It and its companion piece of her husband, John Adams, were started in 1800 but not delivered until 1815. The Adams' eldest son and the future sixth president, John Quincy Adams, politely stated his family's attitude toward the artist's procrastination: ‘Mr. Stuart thinks it the prerogative of genius to disdain the performance of his engagements.’” — National Gallery of Art
“Mrs. John Adams felt that ‘if we mean to have heroes, statesmen and philosophers, we should have learned women.’ Stuart's portrait, begun when the first lady was fifty-six, captures the patrician beauty of her straight nose and arched brows. The forthright painting also leaves little doubt about the force of character, intellect, and principles of this daughter of a Massachusetts minister.
This likeness was Stuart's only completed picture of Abigail Smith Adams. It and its companion piece of her husband, John Adams, were started in 1800 but not delivered until 1815. The Adams' eldest son and the future sixth president, John Quincy Adams, politely stated his family's attitude toward the artist's procrastination: ‘Mr. Stuart thinks it the prerogative of genius to disdain the performance of his engagements.’” — National Gallery of Art
Credits. This page was last revised on February 11, 2022. It was originally submitted on August 24, 2017, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 577 times since then and 44 times this year. Last updated on February 10, 2022, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on August 24, 2017, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. 6. submitted on August 24, 2017, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
