What Happens When a Future President Visits the Home of a Former President?
And what it tells us about history and memory
A few weeks ago, the James A. Garfield National Park Service Twitter account shared a remarkable letter James wrote to his wife, Lucretia, on July 8, 1869. Garfield was on a tour north with David Wells (a commissioner of revenue) to investigate issues for an upcoming census bill in Congress. They stopped in New York and Connecticut, before arriving Massachusetts. While in Boston, he stayed at the Tremont Hotel, which was the first hotel to boast indoor plumbing, toilets, and baths. It was also known for its free soap. The height of luxury!
The day after arriving in town, they received an invitation from Henry Adams to visit the Adams family homestead in Quincy, Massachusetts. Here are a few snippets from the letter and some of his interesting observations about the home:
“I have arisen before the family are stirring to enjoy the scenery, to regale my heart with the associations personal and historical which belong to the interior and exterior of this delightful old house, the ancestral home of the Adamses…The house is an elegant and charming relique of antiquity. Every room is full of history.”
He shared with his beloved “Crete” that he slept in a third floor “chamber under the roof with dormer windows, and from the last window I look out on the bay and catch a glimpse of the open sea beyond.” The room was filled with books in Greek, Latin, French, German, and English, and most of them inscribed with the name John Quincy Adams. He described the furniture as rich but quaint and keeping with the “last century pattern”.
One floor below, was the “room where John Adams died. It is now used as the library of his grandson, Charles Francis Adams, the paterfamilias of the mansion.” Every room was filled with pictures, drawings, and engravings, including “one very fine one of Abigail Adams (the wife of John), the writer of those charming letters you were reading last winter. One of Washington, taken before he was President…There is also a fine French portrait of Jefferson.”
Garfield was apparently quite a history buff (yay!) and couldn’t help but share a few tales about the family: “What a remarkable history this family has made. Two cousins John and Samuel Adams leading spirits in the revolution, made its first mark. John, the second President of the U.S. and decorated with all the other high offices his country could bestow; then his son John Q… but though he had not the rough sturdy grasp which characterized his father, he was a man of much more culture and learning and really made a more lasting impression upon the policies and opinions of his day. He was in public life longer, I believe, than any other American and held nearly all the highest offices including the presidency….”
James then updated Crete on the talents and positions of the current generation, before concluding: “I doubt any family in England or American show such a history.”
Before returning to Boston, Henry Adams led a small history site-seeing tour around Quincy. They visited the church to pay respects at the graves of John and Abigail Adams, stopped by the tomb of the original Henry Adams, who started the family line and was one of original founders of the town in 1639, and observed the foundations of the house where John Hancock was born.
At the end of his letter, Garfield commented on the Adams family manuscripts and the Garfield legacy: “Before I left the Adams House I looked through a few of the manuscript journals and letters of John & John Q. Adams. Charles Francis is now at work preparing a mass of them for publication. Do you suppose Hal or Jim will ever care to look over your letters to me and mine to you?”
When the Garfield Twitter account (which you absolutely must follow if you don’t already, they are hilarious) shared this letter, I was initially fascinated by the descriptions of the Adams family and the house (obviously). But then I started to dig into the visit, trying to figure out why Garfield was there, what did he write home about the history, etc.
After reading through the letters, I was so impressed by Garfield’s grasp of the symbolic importance of American history. It’s important to remember that when he was writing these letters, the scars from the Civil War were still quite fresh. Garfield had served as an officer and had seen the horrors of war personally. He knew the Union was fragile, perhaps granting him a better awareness for the dedication and hardship required to forge a nation from scratch. With that context in mind, it’s no surprise he enjoyed his visit to the Adams house or expressed his appreciation for their careful preservation of history. I’d like to dig into this aspect of the history more in the future.
One year after Garfield’s visit, Charles Francis Adams built the stone library behind the house in honor of his father, John Quincy Adams. Many historians speculate that CFA’s dedication to his father and grandfather’s legacies and manuscripts inspired Garfield’s care of his own letters as well.
Having walked the same paths and marveled at the same sites Garfield enjoyed in 1869, I can understand the inspiration. Not only did the Adams family play a central role in American history for generations, but they were also aware of their impact and carefully preserved their legacy. That’s not to say they didn’t burn some letters or erase some dirty details — of course they did — but what they’ve left behind is a gift for historians and just as much of an inspiration now as back then. I’m personally grateful for their hoarder tendencies.
Note: Huge thanks to the Garfield site for their stellar online content and confirming some of the details about this trip! They are such a treasure and I highly recommend checking them out.