"The Baron of Beacon Hill: John Hancock" Lecture by William M. Fowler, Jr., followed by Hancock Carriage Display

Please come to hear the story of the son of an early Braintree (later Quincy) minister who became one of Boston's great merchant princes as well as a legendary statesman. He leads a Revolution, signs a sacred American document and is several times elected Governor of the Commonwealth.

On Saturday, June 29, William M. Fowler, Jr., former Director of the Massachusetts Historical Society, Distinguished Professor of History, Emeritus at Northeastern University, and noted author, will deliver the lecture: “The Baron of Beacon Hill: John Hancock” at the Quincy Historical Society.  The lecture will be held at the site of the former Adams Academy, 8 Adams Street, Quincy, Massachusetts, from 10:30 – Noon. Parking is available at the rear of the building.

After the lecture, plan to visit The Dorothy Quincy Homestead, 34 Butler Road, Quincy, to view the historic Hancock chariot that was lovingly restored and sits in the property’s coach house. The chariot was built in England c. 1777, was captured by American privateers and presented to John Hancock. After Hancock’s death, the chariot passed to Dorothy Quincy Hancock’s niece and eventually was inherited by Eliza Wendell Quincy Clapp who was living in Portland, Maine. Converted to a horse-drawn sleigh in the 19thcentury, it was given to the NSCDA-MA by family descendants and conserved in 2014 with a grant from the Quincy Community Preservation Committee. The coach house will be open from 12:30 – 2:00 p.m.

The lecture is sponsored by the Quincy Homestead Committee, The National Society of The Colonial Dames in The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and is co-hosted by the Quincy Historical Society.  The Quincy Homestead is owned by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and is operated by the Department of Conservation (DCR) in cooperation with the NSCDA-MA.

The lecture and carriage display are free and open to the public.