USA > Illinois > Adams County > Quincy > Quincy and Adams County history and representative men, Vol. I > Part 21
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"For several years subsequent to 1825 the Board of County Com- missioners took the matter in hand of laying out highways in the most thickly settled portions of the county. The mode of procedure was as follows: Some interested and enterprising resident would petition for a road in his neighborhood, the matter would be taken under advisement by the County Board and, if that body decided that the highway was necessary, a road viewer would be sent to the favored locality to blaze trees along what he considered the best route. The road viewer, or road viewers, would then report back to the County Commissioners, usually at the same meeting. There was no difficulty in getting a road put through, as land was cheap and it was the opinion
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of those occupying it that even the best of it could profitably be put to the use of the general public in that way. In 1825, also, the first five streets in what is now Quiney were laid out and named after the Eastern states-Maine, York, Jersey, Hampshire and Vermont.
VIEWERS REPORT ON STATE ROAD
"In 1826 commissioners were appointed to locate a state road from Quiney to Springfield and the first macadam work was done on Hampshire street from Third street to Front street, which was 25 feet wide, at a cost of $3.6212 per running foot with one dollar addition for eurb. This work was done by Mr. Redman. On December 2, 1828, George W. Height was ordered by the County Commissioners to expend $20 in improving Vermont street in the town of Quincy. John Wood, S. Cox, and Wesley Williams were appointed by the County Board to review that part of the county road laid from Quincy to Atlas, adjoining Baker's farm about 11/2 miles from Quincy, and that ' they report their findings at this meeting.' They were appointed December 2. 1828, and on the next day made the following report to the County Commissioners :
" 'The undersigned, having been appointed to review the road laid from Quiney to Atlas near the farm of Dr. Baker, have the honor of reporting that they have this day performed that duty and report that on examination of the present location of the road, find that a considerable portion of it lies in low and marshy ground north and south of said farm, and that it crooks considerably west from the first large creek north of said farm down to it and then runs too much east for the general direction of the road to regain the dry land south near the bluff, south of the farm. We examined a ronte near the bluff and found dry ground and a better route in our opinion than the one over which the road now runs, and accordingly commenced at the north side of the aforementioned creek immediately on the bank just above where the road erosses it and blazed a ronte in a straight direction with the "north or Quiney end" of the road running near Dr. Baker's haystack and between the bluff and a mound, and straight near the bluff until it intersects the present road in the timber south of said farm. We believe this blazed route is nearer than the old one and runs on better ground, and that the contemplated change will be of publie and general utility and convenience.
" ' All of which is respectfully submitted. December 4, 1828.
" 'Subscribed and sworn to in open court. December 4, 1828.
*'' (Signed) WESLEY WILLIAMS. SAMUEL COX. JOHN WOOD. Reviewers.
" 'HENRY H. SNOW.
Clerk.'
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"The above report shows very clearly that the commissioners in charge tried to serve the general public much better than nowadays and had in mind the matter of upkeep on highways; while they never once thought of the tremendous upkeep that would become necessary on even the best type of highways through the invention of the swift moving vehicle known as the automobile.
PIONEER ROADS AND BRIDGES
"By this time highways had been laid out in what is now the County of Adams. And on March 2, 1828, after careful consideration of conditions, the commissioners decided to divide Adams County into fourteen road distriets and to appoint fourteen men as supervisors of said roads in these distriets. Later on two more road distriets were added and from 1828, especially, to 1840, road viewing and road lay- ing-out was the principal work of the County Board of Commissioners.
"The building of wooden bridges was begun a little previous to 1840 and continued until 1850, at which time this practice was super- seded by the building of the steel bridge, which period extended until about 1913. In 1850 the Old Bear Creek bridge, which is still stand- ing between Quincy and Lima, was begun and completed a short time afterwards. After this bridge had been completed, being en- tirely constructed of wood, the County Commissioners passed the fol- lowing by-laws: 'No person shall ride or drive over this bridge faster than a walk; no smoking or fire of any kind eloser than 100 yards; not more than twenty-five head of cattle or horses on bridge at any time.' The bridge cost $9,331.54 and was built by Amos Green in 1850.
IMPROVEMENTS IN ROAD AND BRIDGE BUILDING
"In the year 1850, Adams County had been divided into town- ships, and permitted each township to select its own officers and to levy taxes for town purposes, as well as for road and school purposes; which road tax was to be expended under the direction of three high- ways commissioners who had power to appoint as many road bosses as they saw fit, to oversee the work to be done. Taxes for road pur- poses were not paid in cash, but by labor, and entirely under the supervision of the township commissioners. This, in the opinion of many was a change for the worse in the matters of improving high- ways, as it created many different methods of improving highways as there were persons eleeted to the position of highway commissioner. and in some cases, as was the case in this county, there were as many as 300 different men having jurisdiction on the small number of high- ways that then were in existence. However poor this method seemed, it lasted in the main until about the year 1900, when a law was passed doing away with road overseers and making only the three highway commissioners of every township responsible for the highways therein.
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Another important feature of the new law was that which provided for the paying of the road tax in cash. While these were important features in the road law Adams County Board of Supervisors could yet see that it was necessary for the county to aid the townships in the erection of the larger bridges and more important highway con- struction therein. Therefore it will be noted all along the line of procedure of the Board of Supervisors that the county willingly aided the township by the appropriation of what would total several millions of dollars for the purpose of improving highways and bridges.
"During the steel-bridge construction period in this county it was believed by many that there was considerable graft in that connection. Many of our steel bridges, while serving their purpose, are much lighter in weight than they should be. In many instanees ean be cited bridges of from thirty-five to fifty feet span costing in the neighbor- hood of $2,500, where bridges with four foot spans eosting $15 to $18 would have served the purpose. While all of this is taken into con- sideration the County of Adams is to be congratulated on the number and condition of our highways and bridges at present. It is estimated that their value is nearly one and one-half million dollars; while those constructed entirely by the townships are estimated at something less than two hundred thousand dollars.
THE TICE HARD ROAD L.1W
"Seemingly, there was no great change in the laws toward high- way improvement that pointed to any permaneney until the year 1913, when Homer Tice, then chairman of the Roads and Bridges Committee in the House of Representatives, seeured the passage of what is known as the Tice Hard Road law. Until this time automo- bile owners had been paying license fees to the State for the privilege of operating their cars thereon and no provision 'for the expenditure of this money had been made by the Legislature. It was felt among many that the money collected from the operation of ears should be expended on the highways; and accordingly they passed a law re- turning to counties an amount proportionate to the road and bridge tax levied therein, on the condition that the county would provide by taxation an amount equal to the amount offered by the State. The law also created the State Highway Commission and County Superin- tendent of Highways, under whose direction were placed the expendi- ture of these moneys. Many feeling that the money appropriated for road purposes had been unwisely expended, deemed it necessary that there should be some one charged with the expenditure of these moneys and that they should show by examination, or otherwise. that they were capable of improving and building highways. Thus the applicants for the office of county superintendent of highways must pass a rigid examination based on the construction and improve- ment of highways, and their names being sent to the County Board of Supervisors that body selected from the eligibles a man to serve
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in that capacity. You will see that the official named, having juris- dietion over the commissioner of highways of the townships and over the expenditure of the money, would create somewhat of an ill feeling in certain quarters and accordingly there was an effort put forth to eliminate the office that had been created.
"The law also gave the people the right to deeide whether each township should have one or three highway commissioners and gave them the right to bond the county in order to provide funds for the building of hard roads. All of this, of course, affected the County of Adams. In 1913, therefore, in accordance with the law, the Board of Supervisors appointed Floyd Bell, of Payson, eounty superin- tendent of highways. Ile served a year and two months in the office, when he resigned and L. L. Boyer, of Liberty, was selected to fill out his unexpired term.
"Soon after Mr. Boyer's appointment a resolution was passed to snbinit the proposition for issuing bonds to the amount of $700,000, in order to create a fund for the improvement by constructing the hard roads of the county. It was subsequently withdrawn, as the con- clusion had been reached that that was an insufficient sum to carry ont the work contemplated. After mueh discussion, both in and out- side the board, and after plans, specifications and estimates had been prepared and thoroughly considered, a resolution finally went through submitting to a vote of the people of the county, at the election in January, 1917, the proposition to issue bonds for highway purposes in the sum of $1,180,000. While the bond issue was defeated by a vote of 16,000 to 12,004, the County Board had by no means lost in- terest in the subjeet, as it had been continuously appropriating money for the construction of bridges and the repair of old ones.
GRAVEL AND MACADAM ROADS
"Previous to 1913, when the Tice Hard Road law became effective, Adams County had a few of her highways improved fairly perma- nently with gravel and macadam. North Twelfth Street had been graveled by K. K. Jones more than twenty years before and is still in fair shape. Gravel roads have also been constructed to a eonsider- able extent in Riverside, Burton, Melrose, Ellington and Lima town- ships. The Quincy-Liberty road was selected by the Board of Super- visors as the thoroughfare to be improved by State aid under the Tice Hard Road law, and accordingly for the past four years about a mile and a half of concrete have been laid ont on that highway at a cost of $16,000 per mile, and about three and a half miles of water bound macadam, at a cost of some $13,000 a mile.
"During the year 1917 an especially heavy storm swept the west- ern part of Illinois and flooded lands that had escaped inundation for years. It caused much damage to many of the highways in Adams County and some of the important bridges were completely destroyed. The county superintendent of highways made an estimate of the
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amount necessary to be expended in order to replace the bridges and put all in normal condition for traffic. He asked the Board of Super- visors for a special appropriation of $30,000 for that purpose, and obtained half that amount.
ILLINOIS STATE HIGHWAY PLAN
"Believing that this method of highway construction was too slow, those most interested in the improvement of highways through- out the State will attempt to secure the passage of a bill through the Legislature, submitting to the people the proposition to issue $60,000,- 000 in bonds to be used in the construction of 4,800 miles of perma- nent highways in Illinois. Those especially identified with the move- ment in Adams County discovered that in the state-wide scheme of highway construction only one line penetrated their territory; and that was a comparatively unimportant branch from Mount Sterling west to Quiney. When the discovery was made, the State Aid Road Committee, consisting of James Cook, Oscar Arntzent and Robert MeIntyre, were called to the office of the superintendent of highways for a conference as to what could be done toward securing three high- ways, which should lead into Quincy from the north and south, as well as from the east. As a result of that meeting, the committee mentioned, with H. F. Scarborough, of Payson, representatives of the Quiney Chamber of Commerce, Mayor Abbott, Thomas Beatty and the county superintendent of highways, went to Springfield and, with the co-operation of the representatives and state senators from the distriet, secured the three highways leading into AAdams County in- stead of the solitary line from the east. When the bill was sub- mitted to the governor for his signature, he held that it would be illegal for him to sign it. as the limit of state taxation had been reached under the constitution. He stated, however, that he was in favor of highway improvements, and that if measures could be passed raising the lieense fees for automobiles and chauffeurs 50 per cent for two years these sonrees of ineome would more than pay the $60,000,000 bond issue, with interest, for the construction of the grand contemplated system of state highways.
"If the people approve this issue of bonds, at the November elec- tion of 1918, the State of Illinois will have inaugurated a system of highways which, when completed, will give her first rank in the nation ; whereas, three years ago she stood twenty-third, and at present is seventeenth among the States."
CHAPTER IX
THE MARTIAL RECORD
THE BLACK HAWK WAR-THE EARLY-TIME MILITIA-THE MORMON WAR-QUINCY AS A PEACE MAKER-MEXICAN WAR AND ADAMS COUNTY VICTIMS-THE CIVIL WAR-DIFFERENT UNITS REPRESENT- ING ADAMS COUNTY-THE WOMEN OF QUINCY-LIGHTNING WAR MOVES-OFF FOR CAIRO-COLONEL PRENTISS IN COMMAND-TENTH INFANTRY ILLINOIS VOLUNTEERS-GEN. B. M. PRENTISS-GEN. JAMES D. MORGAN-GEN. JOHN TILLSON-WILLIAM H. COLLINS' WAR NOTES-THE WAR AS CENTERED AT QUINCY-LOCAL MILITARY LEADERS-THE SIXTEENTII INFANTRY-THE TWENTY-SEVENTH IN- FANTRY-THE FIFTIETH AND COL. M. M. BANE-THE EIGHTY- FOURTH INFANTRY-THE ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTEENTH IN- FANTRY-THE ONE HUNDRED AND NINETEENTH INFANTRY-THE NEEDLE PICKETS-SISTERS OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN-THE FIRST SOLDIERS' MONUMENT-ILLINOIS SOLDIERS' AND SAILORS' HOME- QUINCY IN THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR-QUINCY NAVAL RE- SERVES AFTER THE WAR-PROMPTLY ANSWER LAST CALL TO THE COLORS-ON BOARD TORPEDOED SHIP-COMPANY I, EIGHTH ILLI- NOIS VOLUNTEERS-ACTIVE MILITARY BODIES-THE MACHINE GUN COMPANY.
Adams is old enough as a county to have made quite a long martial record, and it is not going beyond the facts to state that it has done so. The participation of its people in matters military was rather sporadic and intermittent ; it was taken in spasms and spurts until the Civil war gradually and fully absorbed every ounce of its man and woman power for four long and agonizing years. The Spanish- American war was a mere episode in the chapter, although its citi- zens were ready and cager to make it more, if the occasion should call for greater sacrifices. And now, and for considerably more than a year past, the county is in the greatest war of all, fought for the broadest and highest ideals for which any nation, or part of a nation, can contend.
THE BLACK HAWK WAR
Adams County sent two full companies to fight Black Hawk and his Indians, in April, 1832. The general outside facts of that first taste of military excitement experienced by the State of Illinois were
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that Governor Reynolds called out the citizen soldiery in the spring of the previous year, when the Indian menace first assumed alarming proportions. The settlers of Rock River and vicinity sent him a petition in April of that year, stating that "last fall the Black Hawk band of Indians almost destroyed all of our crops and made several attacks on the owners, when they attempted to prevent their depreda- tions, and wounded one man by actually stabbing him in several places." The petition, which was signed by thirty-five or forty per- sons, represented that there were 600 or 700 Indians among them. Another petition sets forth that "the Indians pasture their horses in our wheat fields, shoot our eows and cattle, and threaten to burn our houses over our heads if we do not leave."
Therefore, on May 26, 1831, the governor called on the militia of the state for 700 mounted men. Beardstown was the designated place of rendezvous, and such was the courage and alarm of the settlers that almost three times the number requested offered themselves for the venture. After the selection had been made, the mounted troops left the eneampment near Rushville for Roek Island, June 15, 1831, and on the 30th of the month, in a council held for the purpose at that place, Black Hawk and twenty-seven chiefs and warriors on the part of the Indians and Gen. Edmund P. Gaines, of the United States army, and John Reynolds, governor of Illinois, for the whites, signed a treaty of peace and friendship. That agreement bound the Indians to make their permanent home west of the Mississippi River.
But in April. 1832, it became evident that Black Hawk had vio- lated the treaty, for, with 500 of his warriors, he then appeared in the Rock River country again spreading apprehension and indigna- tion throughout the state. When Governor Reynolds, at his Belle- ville home, heard of their threatening movements and realized that they had no intention of retiring beyond the Mississippi he at once moved decisively. On the 16th of April, 1832, he issued a eall for all available militia to meet at Beardstown on the 22d of the month. That appeal, or mandate, brought out the two companies from Adams County. William G. Flood was captain of one of them, with E. L. Pierson lieutenant, and the second was raised and commanded by Sheriff Earl Pierce. John Wood went with the other pheky settlers and took with him his two hired men. Robert Tillson, the postmaster at Qniney, could not leave his official post, but sent John MI. Holmes and another elerk in his store, each with an outfit of gun, tin eup. blanket and provisions. At that time the population of the county seat was about 400, and the Quiney Postoffice accommodated a large northern country. From the south the mail was brought once a work by a man on horseback, from Carrollton, AApple Creek and Atlas. It is therefore no fiction to repeat that Quincy could not spare Post- master Tillson at the time of the Black Hawk war. As it was, ho was one of only half a dozen able-bodied men left behind to defend the town and its women and children: such was the sweeping call caused by the treacherous breach of faith made by Black Hawk and
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his followers. Naturally, much uneasiness was felt by those left behind-both the little band of defenders and the great majority of women and children-until the news reached Quincy that a more assuring treaty had been made with the Black Hawk Indians, on the 15th of September, 1832.
THE EARLY-TIME MILITIA
The agitations of the Black Hawk war created a military spirit of preparedness and the organization, at a somewhat later period, of several local companies which claimed to have drilled themselves above the facetious classification "cornstalk militia." In the late '30s the Quincy Grays were perhaps the most stable and efficient of these organizations.
In 1843, when the Mormons of Nauvoo and Hancock County com- meneed to appear in the affairs of Western Illinois and Adams County as possible firebrands to light a local civil war, the people of Quiney decided to organize as strong a military company as possible. The preliminary meetings were held at the courthouse on March 1st and 6th, of that year, with Edward Charles in the chair and I. V. W. Dutchess as secretary. Officers were not immediately selected, but a drill-master was chosen in the person of James D. Morgan, who in subsequent years was to make so fine a record in both the Mexican and the Civil wars and to reach the high grade of brevet major gen- eral. At the election on the 9th of May he received sixty votes for captain of the Quiney riffemen, as the company was called ; Benjamin M. Prentiss, whose military fame was to be equally prominent, be- came first lieutenant by a similar vote; William Y. Henry was elected second lieutenant. also by sixty votes ; Charles Everett, Jr., re- ceived thirty-six votes for third lieutenant and James C. Sprague, twelve votes for the same rank. Nearly 190 members signed their names to the constitution of the company. The style of uniform adopted was "for privates, gold lace upon the collar and euffs, and twenty-four buttons, after the style of a coat exhibited and worn by Sergt. Chickering; pants dark, with yellow stripe an inch wide down outside seam of leg."
A called meeting was held June 26th, in response to a request from Brigadier General Denny to assist in the search of Nauvoo. The invitation was declined, but two days later, having heard of the kill- ing of Joseph Smith and his brother, the death of William Richards and the supposed peril of Governor Ford, the company placed itself under the command of Colonel Flood, as did the German Guards, an Irish company and an organization of volunteers under command of Capt. A. Johnston. There were seventy-seven riflemen, and all the commands were enrolled as the Quincy Battalion. On the day named, June 28th, the men embarked for Warsaw on the steamer "Boreas." From this time on, during a period of two years, the interest attached to the Quincy Riflemen, who were the representative military or-
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ganization of Adams County, depends upon their participation in the Mormon war, and still later in the War with Mexico.
THE MORMON WAR
Before the Quiney Ritlemen embarked, a publie meeting of citizens was held and a committee of twelve appointed to go to the scene of the disturbance, and throughout the succeeding two years of agita- tions over the Mormon complications it was largely through the in- fluence of the people of that city that compromises were effected which finally resulted in the departure of the deluded people without serious bloodshed. Governor Ford was in Nauvoo at the time Joseph Smith declared martial law there, and the killing of the three Prophets took place in the local jail. Soon after the tragedy, the governor escaped to Quincy, and on the following day issued the following proclama- tion, the first gubernatorial paper which has ever gone forth from the county seat of Adams:
"HEADQUARTERS, QUINCY, June 29, 1844.
"It is ordered that the commandants of regiments in the counties of Adams, Marquette, Pike, Brown, Schuyler, Morgan, Scott, Cass, Fulton, and MeDonough, and the regiments comprising General Staff's brigade, shall eall their respective regiments and battalions together immediately upon receipt of this order, and proceed by voluntary enlistment to enroll as many men as can be armed in their respective regiments.
"They will make arrangements for a campaign of twelve days. and will provide themselves with arms, ammunitions and provisions accordingly, and hold themselves in readiness immediately to march upon receipt of further orders.
"The independent companies of riffemen, infantry, cavalry and artillery, in the above named counties and in the county of Sangamon, will hold themselves in readiness in like manner.
"Thomas Ford, "Governor and Commander-in-Chief."
The Quiney Battalion returned from Nauvoo in a few days, after the imminent danger of further rioting had passed, but Governor Ford remained some time in the city, as he considered it particularly eligible from a strategie standpoint, and was there visited by deputa- tions from the seat of disturbance. During that period, in faet, Quincy was not only the seat of justice for Adams County, but was the state eapital. In September, 1844, while the town still had that dignity, the governor issued orders, in his capacity of commander-in- chief of the state militia, for the companies with headquarters at Quincy to rendezvous at some point in Hancock County. The people of Hancock County had advertised generally that they would assemble at a set day for the "fall wolf hunt." but as there was still much bitter feeling between the Mormons and anti-Mormons Governor Ford was
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