User:Emshea/Hancock Cemetery

=Hancock Cemetery=

Overview
Hancock Cemetery is a historic burial ground in Quincy, Massachusetts.

Location
Hancock Cemetery is located at 1307 Hancock Street, Quincy, MA 02169 (Latitude: 42° 15' 01"N, Longitude: 71° 00' 15"W).

It was the burial ground for the town of Braintree, Massachusetts, incorporated in 1640. It was the only town burial ground until 1716 when it became the burial ground for the North Precinct of Braintree. The North Precinct was incorporated as a separate town named Quincy in 1792. Hancock Cemetery was the main burial ground in Quincy until the opening of Mount Wollaston Cemetery in 1854. Quincy became a city in 1888.

Hancock Cemetery is located in Quincy Center next to City Hall and across Hancock Street from the United First Parish Church, known as the Church of the Presidents.

History
Hancock Cemetery is named for the Reverend John Hancock, fifth minister of the church now known as United First Parish Church (Church of the Presidents) and father of John Hancock, the patriot and signer of the Declaration of Independence. The Reverend John Hancock is one of the notable figures buried in the cemetery.

The cemetery is the final resting place of generations of Adams and Quincy families including: Henry Adams who emigrated from Braintree, England in 1638; Colonel John Quincy for whom the city was named and maternal grandfather of Abigail Adams; and Colonial Josiah Quincy who was a revolutionary soldier and the first in a line of six illustrious Josiah Quincys that included three Boston mayors and a president of Harvard University.

Hancock Cemetery was the burial site of President John Adams and President John Quincy Adams before they were moved across the street to the crypt beneath the Church of the Presidents.

Tourist Attraction
The Hancock Cemetery is open daily and admission is free.

Ed Fitzgerald, Executive Director of the Quincy Historical Society, has characterized it as an overlooked historical treasure with interesting headstones and "good examples of colonial grave carvings."

The National Park Service tour Spirits of Quincy’s Past includes a walk through the cemetery where historic characters come to life.

In additional to the Church of the Presidents, Hancock Cemetery is within walking distance of other attractions including the Adams National Historic Park and the Thomas Crane Public Library.

Recent News
An upcoming Quincy redevelopment project includes plans for Adams Green, a new pedestrian mall connecting the Church of the Presidents, Hancock Cemetery, City Hall Plaza and the entrance to the Quincy Center T station. The project will replace a busy street with a new public space in the style of traditional village green or town common designed for celebrations, fairs, concerts, and relaxation.

Senator John Kerry and Mayor Tom Koch visited Hancock Cemetery and looked at colonial headstones during a tour of areas included in the redevelopment project.

Resources
Quincy Cemeteries

Discover Quincy

Interment.net