Quincy Point
Encyclopedia
Quincy, Massachusetts
Quincy is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Its nicknames are "City of Presidents", "City of Legends", and "Birthplace of the American Dream". As a major part of Metropolitan Boston, Quincy is a member of Boston's Inner Core Committee for the Metropolitan Area Planning Council...
. "The Point" is generally defined as the land east of Quincy Center, the downtown district. Quincy Point is bordered on the west by Elm Street, on the east by Weymouth Fore River
Weymouth Fore River
Weymouth Fore River is a small bay or estuary in eastern Massachusetts and is part of the Massachusetts Bay watershed.The headwater of Weymouth Fore River is formed by the confluence of the Monatiquot River and Smelt Brook in the Weymouth Landing area of Braintree...
and the Braintree
Braintree, Massachusetts
The Town of Braintree is a suburban city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Although officially known as a town, Braintree adopted a municipal charter, effective 2008, with a mayor-council form of government and is considered a city under Massachusetts law. The population was 35,744...
city line, on the north by Town River and on the south by Quincy Avenue. The area altitude averages about 30 feet (9.1 m) above sea level. The population of this neighborhood in 2000 was 11,414.
History
Early in its history Quincy Point was known as the "Great Fenced Fields". This area included the part of old Braintree prior to the 1792 formation of Quincy that was south of Town River and west of Weymouth Fore River where it makes its turn north toward Hingham Bay.Quincy Point is the site of the former Fore River Shipyard
Fore River Shipyard
The Fore River Shipyard of Quincy, Massachusetts, more formally known as the Fore River Ship and Engine Building Company, was a shipyard in the United States from 1883 until 1986. Located on the Weymouth Fore River, the yard began operations in 1883 in Braintree, Massachusetts before being moved...
, located in the neighborhood since 1901.
The shipyard is famous for launching ships commissioned by the United States Navy, including the World War II battleship and aircraft carriers and . The shipyard is located on what was known since the eighteenth century as Quincy Neck, a geographical feature now obscured by landfill and piers. The Fore River Shipyard is also widely believed to be the origin of the graffiti character known throughout the world as Kilroy, peeking over a bulkhead proclaiming "Kilroy Was Here
Kilroy was here
Kilroy was here is an American popular culture expression, often seen in graffiti. Its origins are debated, but the phrase and the distinctive accompanying doodle—a bald-headed man with a prominent nose peeking over a wall with the fingers of each hand clutching the wall—is widely known among U.S...
".
Quincy Point was formerly a hub for immigrants from Italy. While many of these people still remain, today it is a very diverse neighborhood with many people of Irish, African, and Asian descent.
A famous former resident of Quincy Point is Dick Dale
Dick Dale
Dick Dale is an American surf rock guitarist, known as The King of the Surf Guitar. He experimented with reverberation and made use of custom made Fender amplifiers, including the first-ever 100-watt guitar amplifier.-Early life:Dale was born in South Boston, Massachusetts and lived in nearby...
, known as the "King of Surf Guitar" and a major influence in the development of heavy metal rock music. Of Lebanese and Polish heritage, Dale introduced complex Middle Eastern melodies and rhythms into the rock and roll repertoire during the early 1960s. Dick Dale was raised on Shea Street near Southern Artery
Southern Artery
Southern Artery is a street in Quincy, Massachusetts. For much of its length it is a major arterial street which is used by an average of over 30,000 Boston area commuters daily.-History:...
in Quincy Point and now resides in Twentynine Palms, California
Twentynine Palms, California
Twentynine Palms is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. It was previously called Twenty-Nine Palms...
.
Landmarks
Quincy Point has several small beaches fronting the Town River, including Mound Street Beach and Avalon Beach. Its main recreation facilities are Fore River Field, an athletic complex, and Monroe Playground.The original market of the Stop & Shop
Stop & Shop
The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company is a chain of supermarkets located mostly in the northeastern United States. Its main rivals are Shaw's Star Market and Hannaford in New England, while ShopRite and the A&P family of supermarkets are its main competition in New York and New Jersey.- History :Stop...
supermarket chain was on the corner of Southern Artery and McGrath Highway; the chain still has a supermarket on the site.
The United States Naval Shipbuilding Museum
United States Naval Shipbuilding Museum
The United States Naval Shipbuilding Museum is a private non-profit museum in Quincy, Massachusetts featuring USS Salem , a heavy cruiser docked at the former Fore River Shipyard where she was laid down in 1945. The museum was established in 1993 in response to efforts by local officials and...
located at the Fore River Shipyard, features the , a preserved heavy cruiser
Heavy cruiser
The heavy cruiser was a type of cruiser, a naval warship designed for long range, high speed and an armament of naval guns roughly 203mm calibre . The heavy cruiser can be seen as a lineage of ship design from 1915 until 1945, although the term 'heavy cruiser' only came into formal use in 1930...
which is open to the public.
In January, 2008, The Patriot Ledger
The Patriot Ledger
The Patriot Ledger is a daily afternoon newspaper published in Quincy, Massachusetts and serving the South Shore. Its circulation is 55,000 on weekdays and 63,000 for its Weekend edition which is published on Saturday mornings....
newspaper reported that the 328 feet (100 m) tall "Goliath" shipbuilding crane located at the Fore River Shipyard - once the tallest maritime construction crane in the world - would be dismantled and sold to Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering
Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering
Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., Ltd ' is the second largest shipbuilder in the world and one of the "Big Three" shipbuilders of South Korea.On 21 February 2011, the A. P...
of South Korea and relocated to Mangalia, Romania
Mangalia
Mangalia , is a city and a port on the coast of the Black Sea in the south-east of Constanţa County, Romania.The municipality of Mangalia also administers several summer time seaside resorts: Cap Aurora, Jupiter, Neptun, Olimp, Saturn, Venus.-History:...
. The dismantlement of the giant structure began in July 2008 but was halted on August 14 following a partial collapse that resulted in the death of ironworker Robert Harvey. Work on the crane's removal stopped for two months while local and federal officials investigated the accident, but later resumed and was completed in early 2009. As a result of their investigation, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
The United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Labor. It was created by Congress of the United States under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, signed by President Richard M. Nixon, on December 29, 1970...
issued fines totalling $68,000 on January 13, 2009. A barge carrying the crane was christened the USS Harvey in honor of the fallen worker and left the shipyard on March 7, 2009 en route to Romania.
Quincy Point is noteworthy for its religious diversity, including St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church, Quincy Point Congregational Church, Glad Tidings Assemblies of God and a Portuguese-language Assemblies of God parish, all on Washington Street. The neighborhood also has the Thousand Buddha Temple, run by the Budhi Siksa Society, and the Islamic Center of New England mosque, New England's oldest mosque. Beth Israel Synagogue's was southeastern Massachusetts' oldest surviving synagogue until it closed in 2008; the building has since been renovated and houses a Baptist church.
Transportation
State highway Route 53 enters Quincy Point from Braintree as Quincy Avenue, turns north at Southern Artery and ends at Washington Street, intersecting Route 3A.
State highway Route 3A enters Quincy Point from Bridge Street, Weymouth crossing Weymouth Fore River on a temporary lift bridge
Lift bridge
A vertical-lift bridge or lift bridge is a type of movable bridge in which a span rises vertically while remaining parallel with the deck....
, entering Washington Street at Fore River rotary
Roundabout
A roundabout is the name for a road junction in which traffic moves in one direction around a central island. The word dates from the early 20th century. Roundabouts are common in many countries around the world...
. Following Washington Street, Route 3A intersects Route 53 and turns north following Southern Artery toward Hancock Street, North Quincy and Dorchester.
MBTA bus Routes 220 (Hingham Center), 221 (Fort Point, Weymouth Neck) and 222 (East Weymouth) all serve Washington Street out of the Quincy Center
Quincy Center (MBTA station)
Quincy Center is a station on the Red Line subway at 1300 Hancock Street and Washington Street, serving the Quincy Center area of Quincy, Massachusetts. Its other facilities include nearby stops on the MBTA Commuter Rail, Old Colony Lines, and bus connections at street level.-History:Quincy Center...
Red Line subway station. MBTA bus Route 225 serves Quincy Avenue from Quincy Center station
Quincy Center (MBTA station)
Quincy Center is a station on the Red Line subway at 1300 Hancock Street and Washington Street, serving the Quincy Center area of Quincy, Massachusetts. Its other facilities include nearby stops on the MBTA Commuter Rail, Old Colony Lines, and bus connections at street level.-History:Quincy Center...
to Weymouth Landing.
MBTA contractor Harbor Express offers frequent daily passenger ferry service from Quincy Point to Logan Airport and Long Wharf
Long Wharf (Boston)
Long Wharf in Boston, Massachusetts "was the busiest pier in the busiest port in America during early colonial times." It extended nearly a half-mile into the harbor, beginning from State Street...
, Boston.
Education
The neighborhood is serviced by Point Webster Middle School off of Washington Street and Marshall Elementary School on Southern Artery. Graduates of Point Webster attend Quincy High SchoolQuincy High School
This article is for the school in Massachusetts. For other schools with the same name see Quincy High School.Quincy High School is a public secondary school located on Coddington Street in Quincy, Massachusetts. It doubles as one of two high schools in the city of Quincy and as the vocational center...
, located in Quincy Center.
St. Joseph's Parochial School, a Catholic-run K-8 school operated by St. Joseph's Parish, was the last parochial school in the neighborhood; it closed in 2006 due to declining enrollment attributed to the abuse scandals in the Archdiocese of Boston
Sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic archdiocese of Boston
The sexual abuse scandal in Boston archdiocese was part of a series of Catholic sex abuse cases in the United States and Ireland. In early 2002, Boston Globe coverage of a series of criminal prosecutions of five Roman Catholic priests thrust the issue of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic priests...
.
See also
- Dick DaleDick DaleDick Dale is an American surf rock guitarist, known as The King of the Surf Guitar. He experimented with reverberation and made use of custom made Fender amplifiers, including the first-ever 100-watt guitar amplifier.-Early life:Dale was born in South Boston, Massachusetts and lived in nearby...
- Fore River ShipyardFore River ShipyardThe Fore River Shipyard of Quincy, Massachusetts, more formally known as the Fore River Ship and Engine Building Company, was a shipyard in the United States from 1883 until 1986. Located on the Weymouth Fore River, the yard began operations in 1883 in Braintree, Massachusetts before being moved...
- Quincy, MassachusettsQuincy, MassachusettsQuincy is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Its nicknames are "City of Presidents", "City of Legends", and "Birthplace of the American Dream". As a major part of Metropolitan Boston, Quincy is a member of Boston's Inner Core Committee for the Metropolitan Area Planning Council...
- Southern ArterySouthern ArterySouthern Artery is a street in Quincy, Massachusetts. For much of its length it is a major arterial street which is used by an average of over 30,000 Boston area commuters daily.-History:...
- United States Naval Shipbuilding MuseumUnited States Naval Shipbuilding MuseumThe United States Naval Shipbuilding Museum is a private non-profit museum in Quincy, Massachusetts featuring USS Salem , a heavy cruiser docked at the former Fore River Shipyard where she was laid down in 1945. The museum was established in 1993 in response to efforts by local officials and...
- USS Salem (CA-139)USS Salem (CA-139)The third USS Salem is a Des Moines-class heavy cruiser, formerly commissioned in the United States Navy. The world's last all-gun heavy cruiser to enter commission, she is currently open to the public as a museum ship in Quincy, Massachusetts.-Construction and shakedown:Salem was laid down on 4...
- Weymouth Fore RiverWeymouth Fore RiverWeymouth Fore River is a small bay or estuary in eastern Massachusetts and is part of the Massachusetts Bay watershed.The headwater of Weymouth Fore River is formed by the confluence of the Monatiquot River and Smelt Brook in the Weymouth Landing area of Braintree...
Further reading
Area history: "A History of Old Braintree and Quincy: With a Sketch of Randolph and Holbrook" / by William S. Pattee, available online at Google BooksExternal links
- Quincy, Massachusetts official site: http://www.quincyma.gov/Living/neighborhoods.cfm
- Quincy Point: USGS Geographic Names Information System
- YouTube amateur video of the Goliath crane and surroundings, including views inside the structure and panoramic views of the former shipyard, Quincy Bay, Weymouth Fore River and Quincy from atop the crane: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNKN9J-FMhM&feature=related (posted February 24, 2008)