It was founded in 1893 by Charles Francis Adams, Jr. Dr. Edward Fitzgerald is the executive director.

The building was designed by Henry Van Brunt and William Robert Ware, the latter of whom was the architect of the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, built in 1869, has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1974,[1] and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1994.

[2][3] The Society's Quincy History Museum features exhibits about the community's social and cultural history, including Native Americans, the Colonial era, President John Adams and his family, area shipbuilders and granite workers, and local entrepreneurs and businesses, such as Howard Johnson.

The Quincy History Museum & shop are open Mon-Fri 9-4 year-round, Saturdays 12–3 April 14 through November 10.

The library is open Monday through Friday, 9-12 and by appointment, year-round.