QUINCY — The base for a new life-size statue of Abigail Adams is being installed in downtown Quincy, and the existing statues of the first lady and her son have been moved to Merrymont Park.
Italian sculptor Sergei Elanbekov carved the statue of Abigail to the same scale as the existing sculptures of John Hancock and John Adams on the Hancock-Adams Commons in front of City Hall. The new statue, which was erected after a group of residents gathered downtown for the First Lady’s representative, will be erected next to the United First Parish Church in November.
“We are delighted to honor Abigail and her contributions to our democracy with this new statue, which is the same size as her husband and John Hancock,” Mayor Thomas Koch said. “I’ve always wanted to celebrate that. She’s an important historical figure.” and we are excited to unveil the statue in the coming weeks.”
Around 100 residents gathered in front of the President’s Chapel in March after it was announced that statues of Abigail and her 10-year-old son, who will one day become president, would be erected in Merrymount Park. The statue was commissioned by a group of ordinary citizens, along with Abigail’s husband, President John Adams, who had been across Hancock Street for many years, to depict a relationship marked by separation.
A statue of Abigail by Lloyd Lilly stood for years at the Quincy Center but was put into storage five years ago during construction at Hancock Adams Common. Since then, the statue of the first lady has been out of the public eye, but Yelanbekov’s new statue of John Adams is the focus of the Quincy Center. Because Abigail’s statue was first removed, there was no mention of her or her historical contribution to the newly refurbished section of downtown.
Protesters this spring who said they oppose moving the statue of the first lady to a less visible location held signs reading “Don’t send me to Pleasure Hill Park” and “Please send us back to a prominent location.” and “Give Abigail Back”.
“(Abigail) should be right there, on a par with her spouse,” said Karen Cobb, one of the residents of the March rally. “They are life partners.”
After the rally, Koch met with residents to discuss ways to honor Abigail, whom he called “the most important woman of her generation.” He said he had originally planned to honor Abigail and John Quincy Adams’ wife Louise Katherine Adams at a future downtown Performing Arts Center, but after protests decided to commission Eilanbekov’s work. Koch said he did not yet know how the city would honor Louise Catherine.
Plans to move the statue of Lloyd Lilly to Merrymount have gone ahead and were installed late last week. Instead of honoring the first lady, the Center for the Performing Arts could honor famous performers in the city, such as actresses Lee Remick and Ruth Gordon, Koch said.
A 7-foot-tall bronze statue of Abigail will be unveiled in a ceremony at Hancock Adams Park at 1305 Hancock Street on Saturday, November 5 at 11:00 am.
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