In 1854, when Hancock Cemetery in the center of the town was nearly full, a committee was formed during a town meeting to decide on a location for a new burial ground. They selected a piece of land on the town farm, which had been donated by William Coddington. Due to his religious convictions, Coddington departed Massachusetts and played a role in the establishment of parts of what is now Rhode Island.  This land was situated just west of Mount Wollaston, the site of Quincy’s founding.

Throughout the year, the cemetery committee visited several cemeteries in the surrounding area to gather ideas for landscaping and architecture. These included Forest Hills Cemetery in Jamaica Plain and Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge. After consulting with Superintendent Brims of Forest Hills, Luther Briggs from Dorchester was hired to design and construct the cemetery. Briggs opted for a gothic revival style for the architecture and used the dimensions of Mount Auburn as a model for Mount Wollaston.

The first two burial plots were officially purchased on May 5, 1856, by Charles Francis Adams, Sr., a prominent attorney and the son of the late former President of the United States, John Quincy Adams. He paid $5, which would equate to about $185 in 2024.

Among the notable individuals buried in the cemetery are:

• Charles Francis Adams, Sr. (1807–1886), attorney, U.S. Congressman, and ambassador to Great Britain
• Charles Francis Adams, Jr. (1835–1915), a Union commander in the American Civil War, railroad executive, and historian
• Charles Francis Adams, III (1866–1954), yachtsman and Secretary of the Navy under President Herbert Hoover
• Billy De Wolfe (1907–1974), actor
• Harriet E. Wilson (1825–1900), considered the first female African-American novelist