John Adams

	PRIMARY HOME for both John and John Quincy Adams : "Peacefield" or "Old House," 135 Adams Street , Quincy MA - a 1731 Georgian clapboard, 1½ miles from their birthplaces PHOTO CREDIT: 2003 Calendar of Presidential Homes, designed by Presidential Avenue KNITTED SQUARE FOR BEDSPREAD: Mrs. John Quincy Adams started this spread in 1835, finishing it nearly two years later. Louisa had made several extra squares, one of which is here on display. PHOTOGRAPH of John Quincy Adams ' bedroom at Peacefield Adams National Historic Site, Quincy MA BIRTHPLACES (bottom left): 133 Franklin Street and 141 Franklin Street , Quincy MA - only 75 feet apart, both houses are of New England salt box style architecture, built in 1663 and 1681 PHOTO CREDIT: Historic Homes of the American Presidents by Irvin Haas, photo by Oberg

Nearly identical, the brick birthplaces of our first father-and-son presidents are covered with clapboard siding, framed with huge beams, and were enlarged with rear lean-to additions. Multiple fireplaces fed into central chimneys and small windows protected the inhabitants against New England winters.

In 1787, John and Abigail purchased Peacefield, an estate of 40 acres of orchards and farmland. They enlarged the manor house into a rambling farmhouse with wing additions surrounded by a formal garden. Adams described the estate as "the farm of a patriot."

Both John and his son John Quincy held multiple governmental and ministerial positions before and after their presidential terms. Their descendants continued this tradition of government service. Generations of the Adams family lived at Peacefield, though a grandson described the home as "uncomfortable for a boy" with its Queen Anne dark mahogany panels and Louis XV furnishings.

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