The land where the Dorothy Quincy Homestead now stands had belonged to the Quincy family since the 1630s. The home gets its name from Dorothy “Dolly” Quincy Hancock Scott, wife of John Hancock who infamously signed the Declaration of Independence with very large writing. As for the beautiful house and grounds, while the building is open for tours only sporadically, according to signage on the gate and on the official website, the spacious lawn and gardens are open to explore from dawn to dusk. The property is jointly maintained by The National Society of Colonial Dames of America in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (NSCDA) and the Massachusetts Department of Conservation & Recreation (DCR).