USA > Illinois > Adams County > Quincy > History of the city of Quincy, Illinois > Part 23
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35
There was but little political feeling mani- fested in this election, although. during the canvass. the merits of the constitution. which was to be voted on in the following spring. were much discussed. It was eoldly received. generally. by the democratic party. and final- ly met with much opposition. Several of its features were greatly distrusted. The eleet- ive judiciary was an experiment about which many had donbts: the proposed change of the county court system was another innovation
IT3
PAST AND PRESENT OF ADAMS COUNTY.
that met with question, and that which locally operated upon it was the requirement of nat- uralization for the foreigner. before he could be allowed to vote.
Until now, under the constitution of 1818. a six-months' residence in the state was all that was required to vest one with the right to suffrage. A discussion of this question. brought about, among some parties, an exam- ination of the poll lists, which resulted in an estimate, not of course accurate, but approxi- mating thereto, of the probable proportion of the foreign-born population of the city which had, as yet, not been shown in any of the rensus' taken. From this, taking the names as they were spelled, and as they appeared on the poll books, nearly two-fifths of the voters, even at that early day. were Germans. The great German immigration, to the city, which had commeneed in 1835 and 1836 was now steadily increasing, and reached it's maximum during this and the two following years, be- ing accelerated somewhat by the political troubles in Europe. Winter came in early, though in a mild form, heavy snows falling late in November, and lying on the ground through most of the season.
The seasons of 1847 were marked by the same peculiarity that has been observable dur- ing the last two years ( unseasonable seasons they might well be called ) variable and con- tradietory, hot when it should be cool. and cold when warm weather would seem to be the rule, totally defying the wisdom of the weather prophets and tasking the brains of the "oldest inhabitant" to remember the "likes of such weather." and along with this mutable weather, there were noticed changes among the spots on the sun, similar to those we have recently seen. Whether the new "sun spots" of 1847 had anything to do with the spotted weather of that year, and whether the new sun specks seen in 1884-85 conneet in any way with the speckled seasons of these last two years, is a matter for scientific specs to examine into if it is worth the while, not for these sketches to determine; but the facts exist as above stated, and the coincidence is singular.
The most sensational even of its character that had ever occurred here before or since. oreurred this year, and created all of the in- tense local interest that is apt to attend such transactions. It was the trial of Thurston J. Imekett. for the murder of Win. Magnor. The killing was done in the spring. The trial came off at the October term. The two men were printers, and more than usually inti- mate. A jealous suspicion on the part of
Imnekett caused an estrangement, and finally a re-eneonuter and murder. They met in the ('lay hotel, and Magnor was stabbed to death. The trial created more interest than any that ever took place in Quincy. The court house was crammed. Lnekett had wealthy associa- tions, and nothing that money could furnish was wanting to aid his defense. Browning & Bushnell defended him. aided more or less by almost the entire bar. The prosecution was feebly conducted by the district attor- ney, who even left the city while the case was progressing, and it was indiscreetly handled by Warren, who assisted him, and the result was Lnekett's acquittal. The address of Browning to the jury. on this occasion, was a most masterly success, which can never be for- gotten by those present.
From a partial mention made of a few of the operating manufacturing interests, it ap- pears that there were at this time, eight flonr- ing mills, with a daily full capacity of about eight hundred barrels; two saw mills; one planing mill which worked up, during the year. 550,000 feet of lumber; three distill- eries. Osborne's. King's and Casey's. manufac- turing about 60 barrels per day: one woolen factory, established the year before, and man- ufacturing during 1847 abont 6,000 yards of Hannel Kerseymere; one large tannery: three foundries : seven saddleries ; twenty shoemaker shops. This, of course, names but a very few of the many industries of the city. Its im- provements had slowly extended. mostly to the northeast and south. As far south as Delaware street, it was fairly built up, south of that and State street there were scarcely any buildings. North of Broadway, except immediately along the North side of the street, was almost no settlement whatever.
The improved portion of Quincy had not much expanded during the first eight years of the city's existence, and its seant propor- tions as it then appeared, contrasted greatly with the broad circling attractive area dotted with handsome homes and alive with populous movement that now gladdens the eye. The corporate limits continued nearly the same as those that had embraced the village at its city birth. in 1840. with but one change engrafted thereon. Vine. Jefferson and Twelfth. then called Wood street, were yet the boundaries. During this year, 1847. Nevins' Addition com- prising the 120 acres lying between Twelfth. Broadway. Eighteenth and Jersey was at- tached.
This traet of land had been purchased dur- ing the wild speenlative times of 1835 and 1836. by a wealthy eastern company for $30 .-
I14
PAST AND PRESENT OF ADAMS COUNTY.
000. $250 per aere, and it now was platted into lots. 60 in mimiber, averaging two acres to each, and under the operation of a clause in the early city's charter, which prescribed that when any "land adjoining the city of Quiney shall have been laid off into town lots. and duly recorded as required by law, the same shall be annexed to and become a part of Quiney:" this, then open and unoccupied ground, now its most handsomely improved section, was, on the recording of the plat, in March, 1847. added to the city. The next ma- terial change in the shape of the eity was made in 1857, when, by an amended charter, the northern boundary was moved three- fourths of a mile to Loenst street, the south- ern half-mile, to llarrison street, and the divid- ing line between Townships Eight and Nine, with two rods additional taken off the west side of Township Eight. so as to include the whole of Twenty-fourth street, formed the eastern boundary. The legislative action which added to the city about twenty-five hundred acres of "farm land" was stren- ously opposed by most of those whose land was thus captured, and many of whom were made citizens against their wish, but the pro- jeet succeeded and became a law.
Again, what was was known as the Insti- tute. or East Quincy, a traet of about 120 acres bounded by Twenty-fourth, Broadway, Thirtieth, and a line on the south about equi- distant from JJersey and York extended. by a legislative addition to the charter was made a part of the city. These comprehend the present existing boundaries. The original city contained almost exactly 800 aeres, 120 more with the Nevins Addition: and the en- largement, of 1857 and 1867. have swelled its area to somewhat more than thirty-five hun- dred acres. precision being impossible because of the irregular outline of the river boundary on the west. Such is the brief statement of our territorial changes and expansion during forty-five years.
A short sketch of the Nevins Addition, above mentioned, as having been the earliest extension. will show more clearly than any other section the advances that have been made in property values, and is also worthy of note from some bearing that it has had upon the subsequent shaping of the city. This traet of land had cost its owners. as before stated, $30,000. For years it remained on their hands, an expense and unsalable. They often tried to sell it, for less than one-third of its original cost, but could not.
Throughout the eight or ten years of "hard times," following after 1837-38, there was not
to be found in Quincy any such sum of money to be invested in land for future speculation. Finally, on the suggestion of their agent, that, if divided into town lots. it might be sold off at such prices as would realize them the return of the original purchase, leaving out profit. interest, taxes. etc., they made and recorded a plat and authorized their agents to make sales in such proportion as would nearly recover to them the gross amount of the principal of their investment. This called for an average value of $500 to each of the 60 lots. The plat was prepared withont properly conforming to the lines of the old city survey, and this neglect has been a source of much subsequent expense and trouble both to the eity and to property own- ers. Some time passed before any sales were made. and then they commenced at very low figures, but such as will strangely contrast with the rates of this time.
Lot 1, measuring 567 feet, on Broadway, and 114 feet on Twelfth. was bought. in 1849, for $400. During the present month a portion of this lot, fronting on Broadway, has been sold at the rate of $25.00 per foot; making a total estimate vahie to the lot of over $14,- 000. Lot 38. also, 176 feet by 400, reaching from Maine to llampshire, sold the same year for $475. The purchaser occupied and im- proved the lot at once, sold portions of it at increasing values from time to time and has now, within the last few weeks, sold out what he had remaining, being one-sixth of the en- tire lot, for $5,000. The other lots were sold generally in about the same proportion, gradu- ally increasing during four or five years; the whole addition, thus sold, realizing to the ten stockholders of the company about $40.000, at prices varying from $3.50 to $7.50 per foot. These figures now seem small, but they are quite an advance on the first public sale of lots in Quiney twenty-five years before, when, for instance, the entire front on the south side of Maine street, between Fourth and Fifth, was sold at auction by the county commis- sioners for seventy-six dollars, or ten and three quarter cents per foot.
This was the first large tract of land belong- ing to non-residents that had been offered for sale, and it was all bought in by local pur- chasers, in most cases for their own use and occupancy. All the land in and adjacent to the south part of the city, was, and had long been, owned by John Wood, the Berrians, and S. B. Munn: that on the north by Willard Keyes and three or four other resident own- ers, and the Dronlard quarter, lying imme- (liately east of the "original" town had also
115
PAST AND PRESENT OF ADAMS COUNTY.
been parcelled out to several resident own- ers. The defeets in the plat of the Nevins addition. were, that it provided no cross streets running north and south, and that nei- ther Jersey nor Vermont street were aligned in conformity with the same streets as they lay in the city. The adjustment of these er- rors had been troublesome and expensive, and that in regard to Jersey street is not yet fully completed. It was on account of this trouble caused by this irregular survey that the now existing requirement was made that all plats of additions to the city shall be submitted to the council for approval before being plaeed on record.
Maine street, east of Twelfth, had been de- efared some time before; not running on a di- reet fine east, but slightly defleeting about half its own width so as to clear the north line of the old cemetery at Twenty-fourth street.
The alternate street plan, or double block distance between the streets which run north and south. was thus brought about. It was evident that sooner or later some such streets would have to be made, and the owner of the property at the corner of Maine and Four- teenth, seeing that if they were opened con- seeutively. equidistant about 400 feet. as in the city west of Twelfth, his own ground would be ent in an undesirable shape. So, passing by Thirteenth, he secured the laying out of Fourteenth from Broadway to Jersey, alongside of his own property, and similar in- terests a few years later opened Sixteenth. The Moulton quarter was platted in the same manner, and the streets north and south of these additions have of necessity been made to conform. For the nses that are now made of the ground thus laid out. this system of double blocks east and west is not incon- venient, and in some respects is preferable, al- though not advisable for the older and more business sections of the city.
One can now hardly realize that at the time of which we write, 1847. there were between Twelfth and Twenty-fourth streets, but nine buildings: the residences of Mr. Moore and Mr. Sherman. and their land office near the corner of Chestnut and Twenty-fourth: the Morton cottage, now Buekley's, and the "Call and See" house. now White's, on Broadway, the Kingman house and Cooley's cottage, op- posite, at the corner of Maine and Twelfth. and another near the corner of Jefferson and Twelfth. East of Twenty-fourth. at the In- stitute, there were a dozen or more dwellings. South of Jersey and between Ninth and Twelfth, there were only the houses of John Wood and Win. Gerry. and a couple of eabins
on the Berrian quarter, and north of Vine be- tween Ninth and Twelfth, about the same num- ber. So great has been the change in a gen- eration's time.
CHAPTER XXVL.
1848.
"SKIDDY TRACT" SOLD. NEW STATE CONSTITU- TION. JUDGE PURPLE. FIRST STEAMBOAT
HULL BUILT. TELEGRAPH INTRODUCED.
FIRST DIRECTORY.
RAIL ROAD MEETING.
HARBOR IMPROVED. FIRE DEPARTMENT. WELLS. BULL, STONE, MORGAN AND GREEN "RUN WITH THE MACHINE." FISCAL FREE SOIL PAPER, THE TRIBUNE, STARTED. W. A. RICHARDSON ELECTED TO CONGRESS. PRES- IDENTIAL ELECTION. FIRST FIREMAN PA-
RADE.
AAnother sale of a large tract of land occur- red during this year, the history of which bet- ter indicates the variations of value in real es- tate, such as have frequently been mentioned in these sketches, than does that of any other lands now embraced within the limits of the city. Its transfers were few until the time when five or six years later than this (1848) it became a platted addition to Quincy. This is the 160 acres in the northeastern section of Quiney. long known as the "Skiddy quarter," now Moulton's Addition. I have in my pos- session and before me the original patent for this quarter section (160 acres), granted by the United States in 1818. to Paul Bernard, for services as a soldier in the war of 1812. On the back of this parchment is the eonvey- ance made by Bernard of this tract during the same year to John R. Skiddy. for the sum of fifty-three dollars. The Skiddys kept the land until 1848 when they sold it for $6.000. It was next platted in 1854 into eighty lots. aver- aging about two acres each, and sold at pub- lie anetion for about $40.000. $250 per acre. What its present value is or would be without the improvements on it. any one may make his own estimate.
The new State Constitution, framed by the convention which met at Springfield the sum- mer of 1847. was submitted to a popular vote for ratification or rejection. on the 6th of March. There was a good deal of uncertainty attending the result. Its merits had been thoroughly canvassed and discussed during the preceding six months, and a strong oppo- sition had been developed in some sections of the state. This opposition generaffy eame from the democratic press, but was not suffi- cient to create a partisan issue. The delegates from Adams County to the convention from both political parties stood by their action there and were sustained. The leading pe- euliar feature of the constitution was its
116
PAST AND PRESENT OF ADAMS COUNTY.
economie character, and the four points chiefly in discussion were the reduced rate of sal- aries; the elective judiciary; the clause pro- hibiting the advent to the state of free ne- groes, and the proposed tax of two mills on the dollar to be solely applied towards the re- duction of the public debt. These last two propositions were voted upon separately. Strangely enough the heaviest opposition made, was to the two mill tax, really the best feature in the entire instrument. In Adams county, out of a total vote of 2.241. the ma- jority for the constitution proper was 923. for the negro clause 571, and for the two mill tax 53. The vote was proportionally thus through- out the state; the constitution securing a ma- jority of 44.028; the negro exclusion clause 28,182, and the two mill tax the much reduced majority of 10,431. Only one county (the ad- joining county of Brown) cast a majority vote against it.
The new constitution having changed the ju- dicial system of the state by the creation of a separate supreme court in place of the court composed of the several circuit judges, and prescribing that these officials would be chosen by a popular election, instead of ap- pointed by the governor and senator, as here- tofore, elections therefor were held on the first Monday in September. JJudge Purple. who had most acceptably presided in the cir- cuit court of this county, declined to continue in this position, assigning as the reason, that he could not live on the $1,000 fixed by the constitution, as the salary for the circuit judges. Ilis retirement from the bench was much regretted. Ile had earned distinetion of being the most able and satisfactory judge in the line of capable jurists who had hitherto adorned the Adams county bench.
It had been claimed and believed by many that the judicial elections would not become political, but they did at onee. Wm. A. Minshall, whig. of Schuyler county, and Wm. R. Archer, democrat, of Pike, became candi- dates for the place. Minshall was successful, although beaten in Adams county by about the party majority, 223 votes. Ile presided over this cirenit until 1851, when a new eirenit was formed consisting of Adams, Hancock. Ilender- son and Mercer counties. At this same elec- tion R. S. Blackwell was elected prosecuting attorney over Elliott, who had formerly filled the office, and S. H. Treat was chosen without opposition to the supreme judgeship from this district.
At the city election. April 17th, John Abbe, democrat, was elected mayor by a vote of 545 to 506, over John Wood, whig, who had held the office successively through the past four
years. The democrats carried the city, elec- ing Amos Green and H. L. Simmons, aldermen in the First and Second wards, and the whigs securing George Bond, in the Third. With this complete control, the entire city organiza- tion was made democratie. At this time, un- der the first charter, only the mayor, aldermen and city marshal were elected by the people, the other officers being chosen by the council. W. H. Benneson was made city clerk, dis- placing that veteran official. Judge Snow, and I. N. Grover, selected as superintendent of pub- lie schools. To his intelligent interest and ac- tion during this early period of its history, the educational system of the city is greatly in- debted.
A special census ordered by the city coun- cil. in connection with the public school mat- ters, and very carefully taken by I. O. Wood- ruff, gave a total population on the 16th of May, of 5,896; white males. 2.953, white fe- males, 2,841 ; blacks, males, 52, females, 49.
The winter of '47-48 was long, but mild. A great deal of snow fell early, often and late, affording almost uninterrupted good sleighing throughout the winter. There was as late as March 6th, the day of the election on the new constitution, a snow storm of unusual severity. The first steamboat hull constructed in Quincy was during this year. It was set up at the foot of Delaware street, and was launch- ed on the 18th of March. The advantages of Quiney, as a steamboat building point, with the convenient harbor of its "bay." had been in earlier times nmeh dwelt upon, and hence this launch was quite an affair and attracted a large concourse of people. The hull was successfully set afloat, and towed down to St. Louis, to be completed and receive its ma- chinery.
Telegraphic communication with the outside world was established in the summer of this year. It had been much delayed by a con- troversy between the O'Rielly, and the Ken- dall & Smith interests, which had extended all over the west. Quincy was called upon for a subseription of $10.000. At a public meet- ing held on the 26th of February, $7,200 was subscribed. Soon after the full amount was made up. On the 8th of July the wires were brought into Quincy. The first formal mes- sage transmitted was from Sylvester Emmons. at Beardstown. to the Quincy Whig, to which a reply was sent, as the Whig mentioned it. "Quick as lightning." On the 12th, the line was completed from Beardstown to Spring- field, making a connection with St. Louis.
The Quiney Library, now in the seventh year of its existence, reported having on its shelves thirteen hundred volumes, and also the
117
PAST AND PRESENT OF ADAMS COUNTY.
possession of a valuable philosophical ap- paratus.
The first "directory" of the city now made its appearance. It was a crude affair, as con- trasted with those of later days. but answered the wants of the time. It was gotten up by a Dr. Ware, also a stranger in the city. He was an eccentric man. Ile projected about this time, what he called a " Mutual Political Journal." It was to be a novelty in this way. One-half was to be edited by a Whig. and the other by a Democrat, so that the parties could fight their battles on the one field. The proj- eet died about the time that it was born. There had before this, been two attempts at making up a directory, but they were trifling. and this one of Ware's may be fairly called the first complete one, such as it was.
Quiney had as yet. no railroad facilities, or "railroad felicities." as it was ignorantly but felicitiously expressed by a blundering member of the Legislature, who did not realize his own apt perversion of langnage when he thus styled them. The only railroad in actual operation in the state at this time was that completed portion of the Northern Cross Road (now the Wabash) between Springfield and Naples, which was all that had cropped out from the great Internal Improvement system of 1836. This magnificent plan which was to have spider-webbed all Ilinois with iron, and upon which millions of money had been wasted, was now dead, beyond all resurrection, and with it had sunk the credit of the state, but a fever- ish feeling was everywhere prevalent that the interior resources of the state outside the range of lake and river navigation should be reached after and developed. Railroad meetings had been held here in December, 1847, and in January and later in the year 1848. These movements culminated soon after in the build- ings of the C. B. & Q .. and afterward, the Wa- bash to Quiney and the commencement of our great railroad bond indebtedness. The state sold its unfinished railroads; and that portion of the "Northern Cross" west of the Illinois river, upon which some hundreds of thousands of dollars had been expended, was purchased by parties in Adams and Brown counties for $8,000. The company commenced work. but not very successfully, and finally merged their ownership and interests with the city by whose large subscription mainly the roads were constructed.
The city council with an eye, that it has al- ways had, sometimes with more zeal than judgment. towards advancing the material gen- eral prosperity of the city, appropriated $500 towards the improvement of the harbor con-
ditioned on the citizens subscribing an equal amount. The appropriation stood, but the in- dividual subscriptions were laggard. At their May meeting the council, acceding to the re- quest of the city council of Alton, passed reso- tions of remonstrance against the action of the city of St. Louis in the building of a dyke from Bloody Island to the Illinois shore, thus foreing the Mississippi into the narrow channel that it now has between this island and the Missouri shore. This was the commencement of a controversy between Hlinois and Missouri interests, which lasted, and controlled our leg- islature for the following fifteen years. The issue was, that all publie improvements in Il- linois should be for the benefit solely of points in Illinois, and not for places in either of the states on our eastern of western boundary. That is all forgotten now.
The fire department, which Quiney has al- ways had reason to pride itself on, took its best start this year. Its inception was in 1838 when the town bought four ladders, twelve Imekets and six firehooks, which led at onee to the formation of a hook and ladder com- pany. This was followed in 1839 by the pur- chase of a fire engine at a cost of $1,125, and the organization of Fire company No. 1. It would be amusing now to read the list of the now "grave and revered seniors," Wells, Bull. Stone, Morgan, Green and others, the young bucks of that time who "ran with the machine." Another engine, a second-hand one from St. Louis, the "Marion," was purchased by the city for the sum of $600, a company, No. 2. formed of similar men to those above named and from the emulation that sprang at once came the high efficiency and repute which this department of the city institutions has always maintained.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.