Wollaston (Quincy, Massachusetts) facts for kids
Wollaston is a friendly neighborhood located in the city of Quincy, Massachusetts. It's split into two main parts by Hancock Street (also known as Route 3A). The area near Wollaston Beach is called Wollaston Park, and the hillier side is known as Wollaston Heights.
Wollaston is surrounded by other interesting places. To the north, you'll find North Quincy. To the east is Quincy Bay, a beautiful body of water. South and southeast are Merrymount and Quincy Center. To the west, it borders Milton, Massachusetts. Getting around Wollaston is easy thanks to the Wollaston Station. This station is part of the MBTA Red Line, which connects places like Cambridge, Massachusetts (at Alewife) to Braintree, Massachusetts (at Train Station).
You might hear about Mount Wollaston. This name was used in the 1600s for the Quincy area. Today, it refers to a cemetery in the Merrymount neighborhood of Quincy.
Contents
A Look at Early History in Wollaston
First Settlers and New Beginnings
In 1624, a man named Thomas Morton traveled from England to the Plymouth Colony. He came with Captain Richard Wollaston. Captain Wollaston and Morton didn't get along with the Pilgrim leaders in Plymouth. So, in 1625, they left with about 30 to 40 other settlers. They cleared land and built small log cabins near the ocean in what is now Merrymount. The Wollaston neighborhood we know today is located a bit west and northwest of where these first settlers lived.
Wollaston was also home to William and Anne Hutchinson after they moved from England in 1636. It was here in Wollaston that Anne started her important work as a female preacher. This was quite unusual for her time in colonial America. Another couple, William and Eunice Cole, first settled in Mount Wollaston when they arrived from England. They were given about 2 acres (8,100 square meters) of land on February 20, 1637. However, they soon moved to Exeter, New Hampshire.
The Famous Quincy Family Connection
Building Homes and Legacies
Edmund Quincy came to Massachusetts in 1633. He was the ancestor of the famous Quincy family. This family is so important that Quincy Market in Boston and the city of Quincy are named after them! On December 14, 1635, Edmund Quincy received a large piece of land, about 400 acres (1.6 square kilometers). His son later built the Quincy Homestead there.
Many years later, Josiah Quincy I built a grand house called the Josiah Quincy House. This house was on a 200-acre (0.81 square kilometer) property known as the "Lower Farm." You can still see this house today on Muirhead Street in Wollaston. In 1848, the fourth Josiah Quincy, Josiah Quincy Jr., built another large house as his summer home. The Quincy family's land in Wollaston was next to the Adams family's land. This land later became part of the Adams family through Abigail Smith's marriage to John Adams.
Wollaston in the 1800s
A Growing Neighborhood
In the 1870s and 1880s, the Quincy family's land was developed into a lovely neighborhood with many homes. It became one of the first places where people lived and then commuted (traveled) to work in Boston. Residents even received a free one-year pass for the Old Colony Railroad from Wollaston Station to downtown Boston. The Wollaston MBTA station today is in the same spot as the old train station.
In 1896, the Quincy estate was divided into "prestigious building lots" and named Wollaston Park. The Josiah Quincy Mansion became part of the 12-acre (49,000 square meter) campus of the Quincy Mansion School for Girls. The Wollaston Yacht Club was started in 1897. Its goal was to encourage boating and build community in Quincy Bay. It is still active today, along with its sister club, the Squantum Yacht Club.
Wollaston in the 1900s
New Schools and Famous Firsts
In 1919, Eastern Nazarene College moved to Wollaston. It took over the old Quincy Mansion School property. The Mansion itself was part of the college until 1969. Today, a building called Angell Hall stands where the Mansion once was.
The very first Howard Johnson's restaurant opened in Wollaston in 1925. The city of Quincy has placed a stone marker near the Wollaston MBTA station parking lot. This marker shows the exact spot where the first Howard Johnson's was located. This original building was taken down before the new Wollaston station opened in 1971. The first Howard Johnson's offices were a short walk away, at the corner of Beale Street and Newport Avenue. You can still see the initials "HJ" in tiles on the walkway in front of the Beale Street entrance. Eastern Nazarene College bought the old candy factory and offices on Old Colony Avenue in the late 1990s. They turned these buildings into their Old Colony Campus.
Some famous people have connections to Wollaston. Actress Ruth Gordon and author John Cheever were both born on Winthrop Avenue on Wollaston Hill. American actor Billy De Wolfe was also born in Wollaston.
