Past and present of the city of Quincy and Adams County, Illinois, Part 31

Author: Collins, William H. (William Hertzog), 1831-1910; Perry, Cicero F., 1855- [from old catalog] joint author; Tillson, John, 1825-1892. History of the city of Quincy, Illinois. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1905
Publisher: Chicago, S. J. Clarke Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1228

USA > Illinois > Adams County > Quincy > Past and present of the city of Quincy and Adams County, Illinois > Part 31

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).

The first formal workman's "strike" broke ont this year among the laborers at the brick and lumber yards, who claimed an advance of pay from seventy-five vents to a dollar a day. They all quit work on the 20th of June and paraded the town in procession, preceded by music of drums and fife. This was then a nov- elty and attraeted attention, resulting in the yielding of the employers to the demand.

The military fever, which had been gradually dying out since the close of the Mexican and Mormon wars, broke out afresh this year with the organization of the Quincy Blues, made up in part from the members of former like asso- ciations, under the captaincy of B. M. Prentiss, which soon became a somewhat noted and cred- itable company. A German company, the Rifles or Yagers, was at this time the only or- ganization of this character in the city, and it went out of existence soon after. The for- mation of the Blues brought out several other companies within the near following years. These were the "Quiney Artillery," under Cap- tain Austin Brooks, of the Herald, a dapper little "eadet company, composed of the boys from Root's High School, and commanded by Captain Martin Holmes, and the "City Guards," under Captain E. W. Godfrey, who as a captain in the 18th Missouri Infantry, was killed at the battle of Shiloh in 1862. Quincy thus had for several years four military organ- izations, but all of them disbanded before 1861, except the City Guards, which being then still in prosperous condition, became the nu- clens from which was formed the two eompa- nies which volunteered in the spring of 1861 to do duty in the war of the rebellion. Prior to this period, 1843, there had been at different times four military associations in the city, the first being the "Grays" in 1838-9, next the "Riflemen" in 1843, and shortly after the "Montgomery Guards, " an Irish company, and the Germany company of Captain Delabar be- fore mentioned. The "Riflemen" and "Mont- gomery Guards" enlisted in the Mexican war.

CHAPTER XXXII.

1854.

ICE PACKING BECOMES A BUSINESS. WIDTH OF THE RIVER 3,960 FEET. THEATRE STARTED. AMATEUR ACTORS. HIGH SCHOOL. NEBRASKA BILL. POLITICAL CHANGES. DATUM FOR STREET GRADES FIXED. MOULTON'S ADDI- TION. SWAMP LANDS SOLD. GAS COMPANY STARTED. FIRST LOCOMOTIVE BROUGHT TO QUINCY. A HOT SUMMER. DISTILLERY

BURNED. QUINCY CADETS.

The winter of 1853-54 was generally pleas- ant, not marked by anyextreme degree of tem- perature, although the snowfall was unusually large. The staple business of the season kept up with former years, about 22.000 hogs being packed, which was a fair average product. A new branch of business began about this time, rather light at first, but one that has since rap- idly inereased and grown to a place among the leading industries of the eity. This was iee packing. heretofore altogether a private affair, which now, however, commenced as a regular

151

PAST AND PRESENT OF ADAMS COUNTY.

business. The first jee houses for parking, preserving and selling throughout the city, were built this year. on a small scale compared with what it has since become, but fully up to the wants of the place at the time. 1. Cleve- land, and soon after J. Cole, were the pioneers in this line, packing not a great deal. but enough for local distribution during the fol- lowing summer. The river on the 23rd of Feb- ruary, at a very high stage of water, with flooded banks. unfettered itself from winter thraldom, and thence on throughout the suc- ceeding winter, 1854-1855, remained entirely free from ice. Navigation was easy and lasted long by reason of this early opening, and the nearly full continuanee of the spring rise as late as the middle of November. All through the summer the river was high. Twenty-one feet above low water mark was the gange given of the highest water, and this unusual altitude long sustained gave a greater average volume of flow through the season than had been often before known.

A question much mooted then, and perhaps since, as to what is the exact width of the Mississippi at this point. was referred to some of the railroad engineers, who settled it by a careful measurement made over the ice in February, which had never been thus done be- fore. Starting from low water mark, at the foot of Vermont street, and running on an exact east and west parallel to a point about 200 feet south of the ferry landing on the Mis- souri shore gave a distance of 3,960 feet, al- most an even three-quarters of a mile. Since this measurement was made, on account of en- croachments from the east side of the river by the extension of the public landing, and per- haps some changes in the banks on the opposite shore, the above figures may have slightly varied.

A special session of the legislature having been called by the Governor to meet on the 9th of February, an election was ordered to be held on the 6th of this month to fill vacancies made by the resignation of John Wood, senator from the Adams and Pike district. and of J. M. Pitman and John C. Moses, representatives from Adams and Brown. The democrats in convention nominated for senator Solomon Parsons of Pike, and for representatives Wm. H. Benneson and Hiram Boyle of Adams, while the whigs brought out John McCoy of Adams for the senatorship, and J. W. Singleton of Brown and John C. Cox of Adams as their ean- didates for the lower house. The election re- sulted in the success of Parsons. Singleton and Boyle. There was a light vote cast, and the result was effeeted by local influences and the politie indifference felt by the whigs in regard

to the election. The whig candidates, with the exception of Singleton, and also all the eandi- dates from the city, were in some parts of the county and in Brown overlooked altogether in some precinets securing not a single vote, and in Brown the Singleton vote was about three times the total of all the others combined.

Another special election was held on the 4th of April for a county clerk to succeed George W. Leech, who had been chosen to this place at the November eleetion in 1853. and died three months after, on the 9th of February. Leech was a popular and skillful official, familiar with the routine and history of public business with which he had been associated from boy- hood. belonging to one of those hereditary office-holding families, of which the country has so many. llis early death was a public loss. At this election John Field, whig. was chosen over Wash. Wren. the late democratic sheriff, by nearly 300 majority.

Changes were made in the legislative dis- triets by the apportionment law of 1854. Un- der this Adams county was separated from Pike, and with Brown made a senatorial dis- triet, and also Adams became a single repre- sentative distriet, entitled to two members. in- stead of as before. having three members in connection with Brown county. There was also enacted at this session a law which be- came a part of the city charter. providing for the election of two police magistrates for the city and relieving the mayor from judicial du- ties.

The first attempt at an established theater dates from this time. There had been as early as 1839 a "Thespian" organization, composed of a goodly number of the youngsters of the town, who fitted up a little hall on Third street, between Hampshire and Maine. and with well prepared scenery and costumes, gave exhibi- tions to their own satisfaction, and which af- forded special pleasure and amusement to the people of the town. This association continued for several years. Among its members, and we believe the only ones now living and resi- dent of Quiney. were J. T. Baker, Lorenzo Bull. T. G. F. Hunt, Thomas Brougham and Ithema Taylor. A traveling troupe would oc- easionally come along and make use of the Thespian Hall. with its seenery, etc .. but the stay of such was brief. that of MeIntyre and Jefferson. father of the noted comedian, who performed here for several weeks in 1843. be- ing the longest. Nothing. however, like a per- manent theater. with its own professional com- pany. was planned until in the winter of 1853- 54. Geo. J. Adams then began a series of "dramatie exhibitions" and lectures on elocu- tion, in the Danake Hall on Maine street be-

152

PAST AND PRESENT OF ADAMS COUNTY.

tween Fourth and Fifth. Adams, "Crazy Adams," as he was called by some on account of his ereentrie actions, was a very bright man, who had practiced at almost everything-cler- gyman. lecturer, Mormon missionary and apos- tle-and was withal, an actor of far more than average capacity and reputation. Ilis troupe was composed of students from his class in elo- ention, with an occasional aid from some wan- dering actors, and the exhibitions were reason- ably successful, lasting off and on for two or three years. During the time when he was managing these exhibitions, Thomas Duff, his brother-in-law, and wife, who had been per- forming in the east, came from New York and made their first appearance. Later. about 1857, when Adams dropped the management of this occasional theater, as it might be called. Duff, with a full company. came, and since that period carried on a theater from time to time. with occasional suspensions. for a good many years.

The act of Congress, creating a "port of en- try" at Quiney, was approved by the President on the 2nd of January, and in March Thomas (' Benneson was appointed and confirmed as "port inspector." Abont twenty-five years later this office, with several other of the ports on the Mississippi, was abolished.

An earnest effort was made during the early part of this year to engraft a city high school upon the existing publie school system, and a very large meeting was held at the court honse on the 3rd of January in advocacy of this project. Following on this a lengthy petition was presented to the council at the February meeting, and referred to a committee com- posed of three of the allermen and the super- intendent of public schools. At the March meeting the majority of this committee re- ported unfavorably. but recommended the building of more school houses for education in the common grades, which report was adopted by the council, and at the same session a reso- Intion was passed to submit to the voters at the next charter election. the question of a high school, and of obtaining from the legislature the authority to levy an additional tax for its support. The matter made much exeitement in and out of the council. It became at last a partisan question, and entering into the April city election, was there overwhelmingly voted down and carried down with it the political supremacy of the whigs in the council. The immediate result of the agitation was the erec- tion of another school house, the Webster school, at the corner of Maine and Twelfth, which was projected and commenced during the latter part of the year, and was at the time

of its construction, much the most complete edi- fiee of the kind in the city. An appropriation was made at this time of $25.00 a quarter for the education of colored children, provided that the superintendent thought it expedient ; but it effected nothing.

This was what Greely was wont to call an "off year in polities," no presidential election occurring, yet it was a period of more politieal excitement and radical changes. attended with an unusual degree of personal bitterness, than any other since the nation was formed. That political Pandora's box, the Nebraska bill, shattered for a time the supremacy which the democratic party, organized some twenty-five years earlier, had during nearly all the subse- quent time strongly maintained, severing from it a large portion of its best material. This, with the great bulk of the now dissolving whig party, formed a new association, to soon seenre possession of the national administration for a period about equal to that of its predecessor. With the introduction of this question to publie thought, Quincy, like the rest of the country, was aroused at once. The measure and the ac- tions and motives of prominent men became the current constant topic of talk. and were discussed, disputed denounced and defended in every way and everywhere.

The general local sentiment was at first un- favorable in the Nebraska bill, but there was also a strong sentiment of confidence and pride towards the popular senator who was the father of this measure and whose first entrance upon his eminent national career was from this city, his former home. Early in February. therefore, a publie meeting was called by the friends of Senator Douglas to approve of his action and endorse the bill. W. 11. Cather, rounty judge, presided, and J. Il. Luce, was secretary. The meeting was small and inde- visive, and was adjourned to the 28th, when the assemblage was very large. The proceed- ings were exciting and amusing. All the ex- treme anti-slavery men of the city, who had heretofore counted but lightly in political af- fairs, being very few in numbers but very earn- est naturally on an issue like this, floated to the front and did most of the battling, and the resolutions of approval were voted down. Sev- eral other meetings were held with the same general result, and on the 3rd of April, at a meeting with R. S. Benneson, a former demo- erat, as president, and Dr. Ralston, whig, see- retary. where the same stirring scenes of strife oremred, a resolution condemnatory to the bill and charging upon the senator the responsibil- ity for the agitation of the slavery question, was passed by a vote of abont three to one.

I53

PAST AND PRESENT OF ADAMS COUNTY.

The separation continned, and by the time the fall campaign commeneed, partisan lines were distinctly drawn on the question of the Ne- braska bill, which became in fact the only issue which was discussed at the November election.

The city election in April partook of this strong partisan and personal feeling and was hotly contested. The whigs, who had usually a reliable majority in two wards, though slightly in a minority in the whole city. renom- inated for mayor JJohn Wood, with J. C. Ber- nard. E. K. Stone and N. Flagg for aldermen ; and J. M. Pitman, who had twice unsnecess- fully contested with Wood for the mayoratty, was again placed at the head of the demo- cratie ticket, with W. D. Morgan, J. B. Merss- man and Jas. Arthur as candidates for the council. The high school question, which was publicly voted upon at this same time and the proposition to raise a special tax for the sup- port of the school or two schools, had been in- judiciously pressed, and beaten in the council. publie sentiment not having ripened for it as vet. It now became a prominent feature in the election and determined the result. Pit- man was returned as elected by one vote, and two of the whig aldermen by like slender fig- ures, Bernard by a majority of one and Flagg three. The two democratie police magistrates. A. Wood and T. Monroe, were also successful over T. H. Brongham and JJ. E. Dunn. This was the first year when police magistrates were chosen. The vote, 1,335, was the largest ever east in the city. exceeding that of the previous presidential election.

Right after this hard fought election, and pending the formation of the new city adminis- tration, there sprang up a stubborn political strife in the council. The existing board was composed of two democrats and fonr whigs. one of the latter, Dorman, being absent, mak- ing it stand three to two without the mayor. When the board convened to count in and qual- ify the members-elect, Wood, after the vote was declared, filed a notice of contest against Pitman's election and vacated the chair. Al- derman Thayer was made temporary chairman and thereupon the three whig aldermen de- manded that the newly elected aldermen. whose claims were not contested, should be first qual- ified and the question of right to the mayoralty be afterward considered. The two democrats refused to recognize this line of procedure, and by leaving the house broke the quorum. This rather fareical performance was continued at several meetings for nearly a fortnight, caus- ing a suspension of general business, until finally Wood withdrew his demand and the new board was organized. It then, with a

party majority through the casting vote of the mayor, changed the political character of all the appointive offices. Since this period, 1854, with one exception, in 1859, although an occasional opposition mayor has been elected, the democratic party has maintained an un- broken majority and control in the city council for thirty-three years.

An important measure was adopted by this council tending to better define the hitherto doubtful system of city levels. The earliest formal step in this direction was a resolution or ordinance some years before that the "door sill of Holmes' store at the corner of Front and Hampshire." should be the regulation base. But the store had been rebuilt, the door sill changed, and llolmes had moved away so that grade calenlations had now to be made from the secondary standards, involving much in- certainty, and beside this the regulation base above named was not itself fixed upon a deter- minate permanent plane. Now the council, with low water mark as a basis, established "the 'bench mark' on Delabar's house at the corner of Spring and Front streets, 20 31-100 feet above low water mark, as the governing point for city grades. " This well devised plan was still defective so long as it depended on "Delabar's house" for the "bench mark. " A few years later it was improved and carried to completion by the present excellent system, which with elaborate and accurate caleulation and measurements, established a base or datum plane 200 feet below low water mark, from which all grades are to be computed. and makes at the Franklin school house. "a table-stone for city levels " 230 feet above the river base, with monumental stones, corresponding to this table stone, at the center all the street intersections.

A city census, ordered by the council to as- certain the number and locality of the school children to be provided for, on the 1st of June, reported 5.878 under 20 years of age. and the total population of the city at 10,977. of which 196 were resident in East Quincy, as that por- tion of the city lying east of Twenty-fourth street and not yet attached, was called. It was generally thought that this figure, 10,977. was a good deal too low. The valuation of city property of all kinds by the official assessment, based on a low standard of about one-third the actual value, as were all tax valuations at this time, was returned as $2,076,360.86

Property prices continued to advance as they had been doing for several years. A good deal of immigration flowed into the city and the surrounding section, and largely increased business of all kinds, and more extensive stocks of merchandise gave evidence of prosperity.

I54

PAST AND PRESENT OF ADAMS COUNTY.

Many transfers of real estate were made at good profit figures. The largest land sale that had yet taken place in connection with Quincy, larger, indeed, than any since, was the sale at auction in December of the 160 aeres lying in the northeast part of the city between Eigh- teenth and Twenty-fourth and Broadway and Chestnut streets, now known as Moulton's ad- dition. The history of this tract and its enor- mous increase in value, passing unbroken through but three transfers from its first owner, is curious enough to detail.

It was patented in 1818 to Paul Barnard as bounty for services in the war of 1812. The same year, by conveyance made on the back of the parchment patent, which I have before me, it was soll by the soldier for $53. Thirty years after, in 1848, it was again sold for $6,400-$40 per aere. In December of this year, 1854, it was platted into nine blocks and eighty-two lots, each lot containing from one to two acres, the subtraction of the streets leaving about 130 aeres to be sold. It realized at this sale about $45,000, or an average of $350 per acre. The lot on the northeast cor- ner, a little less than two aeres, brought $800, and a similar sized lot on the southwest corner for $1,250. So great an advance in the value of a single piece of property, passing through so few owners' hands, is rarely found.

Nearly at the same time with the before- mentioned sale of the "Moulton" or "Skiddy (narter," which last was the name it had borne for thirty years. there was another extensive land auction which attracted local attention and was profitable to some. This was the sale of all the remaining swamp or overflowed lands in Adams county, that had, prior to 1850, been the property of the general government. Con- gress in 1850 donated to the states all such lands as lay within their respective boundaries. Illinois relinquished in 1852 her interest in these lands to the counties where the same were located. The Adams county court or- dered a sale to be made on December 4th, 1854, of its lands, amounting to over 25,000 aeres, which realized to the county treasury about $12,000. All the unentered land, ineInd- ing the islands east of the river channel. the low bottom land between the river and the bluff. the lakes, among them the great Lima lake or Lake Paponsie, as it was originally called, covering over three thousand acres: every foot of ground, in fact, that was at all subject to even occasional overflow, was em- braced in this sale. Much of it was or seemed to be worthless, and brought not over ten cents per aere, but again a great deal of it was of special value and there offered an opportune chance for profitable purchase, of which shrewd

speculators who were posted and knew what to buy, availed themselves.

The first Adams county agricultural fair was held on October 18th and 19th of this year. It had been projected with a good deal of en- thusiasm and unity in the fall of 1853, and though a crude affair, in some respects, was a sneeess. It exhibited on a piece of vacant ground a little north of Broadway, between Sixth and Eighth streets. The enclosure was made by an irregular sort of fence or barrier, formed by piles of fallen trees and brushwood, looking much like a military abatis, and sen- tried all along on the inside by the committee men to keep out the boys. The attendance and display, both from the city and county, was good, and the institution hence onward for sev- eral years was an object of general interest and advantage. Unfortunate jealousies or misun- derstandings in later years broke it down, and the supporting interests leaving Quincy located near the center of the county, establishing there a fair which has been a steady success, representing, however, more of the county than of the city elements of industry.

The Methodist seminary was now finished and opened to students. It was somewhat sue- cessful, but laden from the start with financial embarrassments, from which it took many years to receive relief. The fine building in which it began its career was eventualy sold to the city for a public school, and the Chaddock col- lege, as it is now called, in honor of one of its donors, was removed to the present site at the corner of Twelfth and State streets. The Cen- tre Congregational church, at the corner of Jersey and Fourth streets, the neatest building of the kind as yet construeted in the city, built by a seceding portion of the First Congrega- tional church society, was finished and dedi- cated.

The most notable and commemorative occa- sion of the year and literally the most shining event, was the completion of the gas works, and the first lighting up of the city on Decem- ber 1st. This was as great a gala day. or night, rather, as Quincy had as yet known, and was signalized by a general turning on of the gas in all the street lamps and private houses, and a general turning out of all the people into the streets to see how the eity and themselves looked, and also by a gay evening banquet at the Quincy House. The gas company had ob- tained, two years before from the state legis- lature, a perpetual charter, giving it the exclu- sive right for twenty-five years to the use of the streets for furnishing light to the publie and to private parties, and had conelnded a contract with the city, following the terms of the charter, for twenty-five years. It now

155

PAST AND PRESENT OF ADAMS COUNTY.

shone out with its well completed works, with a laid line of three and a half miles of pipe through the best settled part of the city and sixty-five street lamps erected and ready for instant use, with provisional arrangements completed between the company and the city, for their lighting and maintenance. It is due to fact and history to say that the contract was a mutually successful one, advantageous to all the parties. Under judicious and faithful man- agement in its earlier starting, the company has also well lighted the city, and has always re- ceived, almost from the very commencement. a remunerative return to itself.

Besides this well-remembered occasion of the introduction of gas there was now the advent of other "first things" to be tabled in the rec- ord of this year, and these, though unattended by demonstrations like that which looked upon the first lighting up of the city, were equally events of publie importance and attraction, and their dates are notable as initial points in the advancing movements of Quincy. On the 12th of March two small locomotives (as railroad engines used to be called ), reached here, brought by barge from Chicago through the canal and down the Illinois river. Crowds gathered, of course, to see the new comers. but it was not until Sept. 12th that one of them, the Varnum, was put in working order and placed on the track to assist in the construc- tion of the road. This, the pioneer engine. had a goodly crowd of gazers to witness its start. It had gotten the name of Barnum from the anti-railroad men. for there were a few croak- ers even in those days, who saw it lying on the landing unused for six months and dubbed it after the great prince of humbugs. On May 5th the first shipment of railroad iron, 100 tons, arrived, and May 29th the first rail was laid. All these occurrences, though unmarked by formality, drew special attention. from the universal interest that was felt in regard to the railroad. Some jarring matters in the railroad directory brought about the resignation of J. M. Pitman and the election of John Wood as his successor, and the resignation of John Field, who had been elected county clerk. was sup- plied by the selection as secretary of JJohn C. Cox.

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.

Past and present of the city of Quincy and Adams County, Illinois, Part 31

Author: Collins, William H. (William Hertzog), 1831-1910; Perry, Cicero F., 1855- [from old catalog] joint author; Tillson, John, 1825-1892. History of the city of Quincy, Illinois. [from old catalog] Publication date: 1905 Publisher: Chicago, S. J. Clarke Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1228

Author: Collins, William H. (William Hertzog), 1831-1910; Perry, Cicero F., 1855- [from old catalog] joint author; Tillson, John, 1825-1892. History of the city of Quincy, Illinois. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1905
Publisher: Chicago, S. J. Clarke Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1228