Object of the Month

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Each month, an object from the collection at Adams National Historical Park will be featured.

Portrait of General Joseph Warren

June 12, 2026 Posted by: Patty Smith, Museum Curator

Joseph Warren became a hero of the early American Revolutionary War at the Battle of Bunker Hill. He was family physician to John and Abigail Adams. He saved John Quincy’s badly fractured finger from amputation.

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Abigail's Locket

May 19, 2026 Posted by: Patty Smith, Museum Curator

This essay highlights the sentimental and historical aspects of Abigail’s gold locket, a personal gift from John before his diplomatic mission in 1779. It outlines the locket’s features, its symbolic role during their long separation, and traces the broader tradition of lockets as keepsakes. The locket’s possible origins are explored and its place in the Adams National Historical Park collection.

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Hepplewhite Pole Fire Screens

March 20, 2026 Posted by: Lauren Whitley-Haney, Curatorial Intern

A set of two Hepplewhite fire screens. Abigail Adams likely purchased this set of pole fire screens in the late 1700s or early 1800s.

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