Hancock Cemetery, cemetery in Quincy, Massachusetts
Hancock Cemetery is a burial ground in Quincy, Massachusetts, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, located directly across from the United First Parish Church. The site covers roughly 2 acres and holds headstones ranging from simple flat markers to detailed carved stones dating back to the colonial period.
The cemetery was founded around 1640 and served as the main burial ground for the local community for over two centuries. In 1809, John Adams and other residents formally purchased the land to protect it from livestock grazing and ensure its continued use.
The cemetery is named after Reverend John Hancock Jr., a local minister whose son became one of the most recognized figures of the American Revolution. Visitors today can still read the carved colonial symbols on many of the older stones, including winged skulls and cherubs that were common ways of marking death in early New England.
The cemetery is easy to walk through, with paths running between the headstones and trees providing shade along the way. Visitors should avoid touching, leaning on, or making rubbings of the stones to help keep them in good condition.
Two U.S. Presidents, John Adams and John Quincy Adams, were first buried here before their remains were moved to a crypt inside the church directly across the street. This makes the site one of the few places where the original resting spot of two presidents can still be visited in the same neighborhood.
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