Germantown, Quincy, Massachusetts
Encyclopedia
Germantown is a primarily residential neighborhood in the city of Quincy, Massachusetts
, USA. The neighborhood is located on a peninsula surrounded by Town River Bay on the west and Rock Island Cove on the east. This peninsula was known since the 1640s as “Shed's Neck”.
Palmer Street, the main thoroughfare of the neighborhood, was named for General Joseph Palmer. In 1752, Palmer and Richard Cranch, brother-in-law of John Adams
and father of American jurist William Cranch
, were held by tenure of lease
by a company interested in German immigration to create a planned manufacturing community. The land was to be settled in the 1750s by a group of glassmakers and weavers from Germany. The planned community had failed by 1760, but the name has remained.
By the late 18th century, ship building became the major industry because of the ideal location of the neighborhood. In 1861, a ferry service was established between Germantown and Quincy Point
.
The tallest building in the neighborhood is the seven-story O'Brien Towers. Most children in Germantown go to Snug Harbor for elementary school, Broad Meadows for middle school, and Quincy High for high school. Snug Harbor is the only school actually within the neighborhood. The neighborhood has a small general store (Palmer Street Store, also known as the blue store). In 2007, the city opened the Germantown Neighborhood Center in the former St. Boniface Church for use in a variety of neighborhood educational and community functions.
4178.02. At the 2000 census, the population of the neighborhood was 3,177. Of the total population, 66.82% self-identified as white, 8.84% as black, 0.22% as Native American, 19.96% as Asian, 1.48% as some other race, and 2.68% as having two or more races. Of the total population of any race, 3.46% identified as being of Hispanic origin.
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...
, USA. The neighborhood is located on a peninsula surrounded by Town River Bay on the west and Rock Island Cove on the east. This peninsula was known since the 1640s as “Shed's Neck”.
Palmer Street, the main thoroughfare of the neighborhood, was named for General Joseph Palmer. In 1752, Palmer and Richard Cranch, brother-in-law of John Adams
John Adams
John Adams was an American lawyer, statesman, diplomat and political theorist. A leading champion of independence in 1776, he was the second President of the United States...
and father of American jurist William Cranch
William Cranch
William Cranch was an American judge and the second reporter of decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States.-Early life:Born in Weymouth, Massachusetts, he was a nephew of Abigail Adams...
, were held by tenure of lease
Land tenure
Land tenure is the name given, particularly in common law systems, to the legal regime in which land is owned by an individual, who is said to "hold" the land . The sovereign monarch, known as The Crown, held land in its own right. All private owners are either its tenants or sub-tenants...
by a company interested in German immigration to create a planned manufacturing community. The land was to be settled in the 1750s by a group of glassmakers and weavers from Germany. The planned community had failed by 1760, but the name has remained.
By the late 18th century, ship building became the major industry because of the ideal location of the neighborhood. In 1861, a ferry service was established between Germantown and Quincy Point
Quincy Point
Quincy Point is a neighborhood of Quincy, Massachusetts. "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 and the Braintree city line, on the north by Town River and on...
.
The tallest building in the neighborhood is the seven-story O'Brien Towers. Most children in Germantown go to Snug Harbor for elementary school, Broad Meadows for middle school, and Quincy High for high school. Snug Harbor is the only school actually within the neighborhood. The neighborhood has a small general store (Palmer Street Store, also known as the blue store). In 2007, the city opened the Germantown Neighborhood Center in the former St. Boniface Church for use in a variety of neighborhood educational and community functions.
Demographics
The neighborhood roughly corresponds to census tractCensus tract
A census tract, census area, or census district is a geographic region defined for the purpose of taking a census. Usually these coincide with the limits of cities, towns or other administrative areas and several tracts commonly exist within a county...
4178.02. At the 2000 census, the population of the neighborhood was 3,177. Of the total population, 66.82% self-identified as white, 8.84% as black, 0.22% as Native American, 19.96% as Asian, 1.48% as some other race, and 2.68% as having two or more races. Of the total population of any race, 3.46% identified as being of Hispanic origin.
External links
- Quincy, Massachusetts official site: http://www.quincyma.gov/Living/neighborhoods.cfm
- Joseph Palmer biography from Massachusetts Historical Society
- United State Geological Survey Geographic Names Information Service:614073 Germantown