“Things Kept and Cherished”: a History of Adams National Historical Park
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National Park Service <Running Headers> <E> U.S. Department of the Interior Northeast Region History Program “THINGS KEPT AND CHERISHED”: A HISTORY OF ADAMS NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK LAURA A. MILLER ADMINISTRATIVE HISTORY PRESENTED TO ADAMS NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN HISTORIANS/ NATIONAL PARK SERVICE “THINGS KEPT AND CHERISHED”: A HISTORY OF ADAMS NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK By Laura A. Miller ADMINISTRATIVE HISTORY Presented to Adams National Historical Park In Partnership with the Organization of American Historians/National Park Service Northeast Region History Program NATIONAL PARK SERVICE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR OCTOBER 2020 Cover Illustration: The Old House at Peace field. Photo by author, November 4, 2018. “THINGS KEPT AND CHERISHED”: A HISTORY OF ADAMS NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK By Laura A. Miller ADMINISTRATIVE HISTORY OCTOBER 2020 Presented to Adams National Historical Park In Partnership with the Organization of American Historians/National Park Service Northeast Region History Program Recommended by 02/16/21 Shaun Eyring, Manager, Cultural Resources Division, Region 1: North Atlantic-Appalachian Date Recommended by 11/17/20 Marianne Peak, Superintendent, Adams National Historical Park Date Cover Illustration: The Old House at Peace field. Photo by author, November 4, 2018. Disclaimer: The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of this author and should not be interpreted as representing the opinions or policies of the U.S. Government. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute their endorsement by the U.S. Government. TABLE OF CONTENTS Abbreviations. viii List of Figures. ix Acknowledgments . .xiii INTRODUCTION From Cradle to Grave . .1 The John Adams and John Quincy Adams Birthplaces. 4 The Old House at Peace Field . .8 The Beale Estate. 11 The United First Parish Church (“The Church of the Presidents”) . 12 “What is the ‘Park Story’”? . 14 CHAPTER ONE “To Save the Family Reputation for the Next Generation”: The Adams Memorial Society, 1927–1946 . 17 A Carefully Curated Family History . 24 Incorporating the Adams Memorial Society. 30 Making the Old House a Museum . 33 Opening the Adams Mansion to the Public. 37 Weathering the Great Depression . 41 An Uncertain Future. 45 CHAPTER TWO The Establishment of Adams Mansion National Historic Site. 47 The Initial Assessment. 52 Negotiating an Ongoing Relationship with the Adams Memorial Society . 54 “So this is Done”: Transferring the Old House to the Federal Government. 57 The Arrival of Custodian Raymond H. Corry . 59 Visitors and Publicity . 66 Meeting the Neighbors . 68 Winding Down the First Season. 70 Establishing “Good and Cooperative Feelings” with the Adamses. 74 v Table of Contents CHAPTER THREE Wilhelmina Harris Returns to the Old House. 79 Problems and Progress. 83 Promotion to Superintendent . 88 Expanding the Historic Site’s Reach . 90 Nurturing Ties with the Adams Memorial Society . 98 A Farewell to Henry Adams II . 100 CHAPTER FOUR Matters of Interpretation, 1949–1959 . 105 Development Threats and Boundary Changes . 105 Mansion or Farmhouse? Renaming the Historic Site . 111 The “Adams Story” Versus the “Park Story”. 114 Collaborating with the Massachusetts Historical Society . 119 Public Outreach and Media Attention . 122 Act First, Seek Forgiveness Later . 124 CHAPTER FIVE “Fight the Trends”: The 1960s and 1970s . 129 Building a Robust Staff. 132 “Good Taste, No Pretension”: Visiting Adams National Historic Site . 137 The Tour Leader’s Experience . 139 Resisting Retirement. 142 “A Watch Dog over the Old House”: A New Generation of Adamses . 149 Acquiring the Beale Estate . 157 CHAPTER SIX Anniversaries, Bicentennials, and Birthplaces . 165 The United States Bicentennial. 166 Acquiring the Adams Birthplaces. 168 Restoring and Furnishing the Adams Birthplaces. 177 The Massachusetts Constitution Bicentennial. 184 Preserving the United First Parish Church . 187 An Inadvertent Transformation . 191 vi Table of Contents Table of Contents CHAPTER SEVEN Embracing Progress, 1987–2000 . 195 Heritage Tourism in Quincy. 198 Seeking “A Cradle to Grave Continuity” . 205 Visitation in the 1990s . 207 From Historic Site to Historical Park . 210 Vandalism and Theft. 212 CHAPTER EIGHT Adams National Historical Park in the Early 2000s. 217 David McCullough’s John Adams . 217 “Saving Souls or Saving Silver” at the United First Parish Church . 221 Modernizing Park Facilities. 226 CONCLUSION Past and Future Transformations . 231 Recommendations. 233 Bibliography. 239 Archival Collections . ..