The Abigail Adams Birthplace - Weymouth, MA

The birthplace of Abigail Smith Adams was constructed in 1685 for Reverend Samuel Torrey, who served as the minister of The First Church in Weymouth. Originally situated at the intersection of North and East Streets, it stood three hundred feet southeast of its current location.

The property, known as the “Torrey Mansion,” was acquired by Reverend William Smith in 1738. Having arrived in Weymouth four years earlier to minister at The First Church, he married Elizabeth Quincy of Braintree in 1740. The couple lived in the mansion throughout their lives. It was in this house that Abigail Smith was born on November 11, 1744, the second of four children. Abigail spent her initial two decades in this house until her marriage to John Adams in 1764.

In 1826, The First Church purchased the birthplace as a parsonage. However, by 1838, the house had deteriorated to the point that its members decided to construct a new home on the same site. The original gambrel-roofed house was sold to Nathaniel Ford, a local farmer, who transported it by oxen to his Bridge Street farm in North Weymouth, where it housed farm workers. For the following century, the building, was used to house workers on the farm.

The U.S. Government Housing Agency acquired the farm for the Wessagussett Federal Housing Project in 1943 and cleared most of the buildings but preserved the Adams Birthplace. In 1947, the building was set to be demolished, but a group recognized its historical value, and founded the Abigail Adams Historical Society (AAHS) to preserve the building.

AAHS protected the building from being destroyed, gathered community support, raised money for its restoration and move. To restore it, they gathered materials from various places: foundation stones from Bridge Street, doors from a Quincy house, aged bricks from Newburyport, nails from Boston’s past, floor boards from Fort Independence, tavern beams from Hingham, bricks from around Old North Church, and fireplace sockets from a demolished house in Lovell’s Corner..

The pursuit of historical accuracy was paramount. This dedication led to the replacement of two doors that had been previously installed. These doors, originating from the 1790s instead of the desired 1744 period, were removed to align with the restoration’s intended timeframe.

It underwent a modern restoration in 2012-2013, enabling it to be saved for another generation. The house was opened to tours until the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. It reopened in late August 2022, but there are currently no tours scheduled.