USA > Illinois > Adams County > Quincy > Quincy and Adams County history and representative men, Vol. I > Part 48
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ALEXANDER SHOLL, 1893
Capt. Alexander Sholl, for a quarter of a century known in Quiney's business eireles, was of German ancestry, as the name in- dieated. Alexander Maek, founder of the Dunkard (Tunker) de- nomination, who came to America in 1829, being his maternal aneestor. and his paternal grandfather figured prominently in Revolutionary times. His father, Jacob Sholl (Scholl), left Pennsylvania in 1833, and located in Winchester, Ohio, where Alexander Sholl was born. In March, 1853, the family came to Hancock County, Illinois, where the father conducted a mercantile business for many years. When the Civil war broke out, Alexander Sholl was given a lucrative posi- tion in the quartermaster's department at a salary of $150 per month. But he resigned his position and enlisted as a private in Company B, One Hundred and Eighteenth Illinois Infantry. He soon was pro- moted, being selected as second lieutenant, then as first lieutenant, and in 1863 was commissioned captain. After the war he engaged in the hardware business in Carthage. In 1877 he was appointed chief clerk of the Southern Illinois penitentiary at Chester, which responsible position he held until 1885, when he went to Minneapolis, again to Carthage and finally, in 1893, came to Quincy, where he was vice president of the Cottrell-Sholl Furniture Company. He also served on the Board of Review of Adams County. Capt. Alexander
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Sholl died December 22, 1915; his wife, Mrs. Mary Sholl, departed this life June, 1916. One daughter, Miss Mabel Sholl, survives.
I will close this, my narrative, with AN ODE TO THE GERMAN PIONEERS
Not as beggars did they come, with willing hearts and hands They eame, to found a new home, in this great western land. They settled in the forest, and filled the prairie plain, Also felled the giant oak, and raised the golden grain. Many were of humble birth, for titles did not eare ; Proved themselves of sterling worth, as neighbors they were l'air. With their music and their song, they drove their cares away, Thus the days seemed not so long, a happy folk were they. And when treason led to war, the Germans they joined hands, Loyally offered their lives, for this new fatherland.
Antietam and Gettysburg-Atlanta to the Sea-
German troops fought gallantly, to make this country free. None more loyal were than they, none ever proved more true, Freely also shed their blood, for the Red, White and Blue.
P. S .- Nothing is perfeet, nothing complete in this world; this is especially true of histories written about events and men ; that truth has been indelibly impressed on my mind since I have written "The German Element : Its Importance in the History and Develop- ment of Quincy and Adams County, Illinois." I now am convinced that I might have written five hundred pages, or even more, without exhausting my subject, as I have the material on hand in the many articles I had written, beginning with the year 1901, for the quarterly magazine published by the German-Ameriean Historical Society of Illinois. In trying to stay within the desired limit, I was compelled to condense my narrative in a great many instances; besides I had to omit writing about hundreds of others, which I would like to have mentioned. While I feel extremely sorry about this, it was the con- dition of things, the force of circumstances, that would not allow me to do so. I hope this explanation will be accepted as an apology for my shortcomings in connection with this chapter. But the Lewis Publishing Company certainly deserved great credit for its enter- prising spirit in this matter, as nothing of this kind, on such a large scale, has ever before been attempted in the publication of histories of Adams County. THE AUTHOR.
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THE CITY HALL, ERECTED 1885; BURNED 1906; REBUILT 1906
CHAPTER XII
CORPORATE HISTORY AND PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS
MAGIC OF HISTORIC RESTORATION-THE PRESENT LAID UPON THE PAST -CORN AND COON GRIST-QUINCY'S SITE HARD BUYING-ORIGINAL TOWN PLATTED-IIOW THE LOTS SOLD THE HOTEL CORNER, HIGHEST PRICED LOT-FIRST COURTHOUSE LOCATED-TEMPLE OF JUSTICE, EDUCATION AND RELIGION-CHARLES HOLMES COMES TO QUINCY-ROBERT TILLSON EXPANDS THE BUSINESS- JOHN TILL- SON, THE ELDER-LAND OFFICE AT QUINCY-SOME OTHER FOOL THAN ALEXANDER-STIMULATING THE MAILS-THE BOLD QUINCY HOTEL-EVENTFUL YEAR (1836)-QUINCY, A TOWN OF "FAIR PLAY"-BECOMES A TOWN CORPORATION-SIGNS OF GROWTHI- BIRTH OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT-STREET IMPROVEMENTS-THE CITY CHARTER OF 1840-ASBURY FOR PRESIDENT; VAN BUREN FOR MAGISTRATE-FIRST CITY ELECTION AND OFFICIALS-FIRST CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS-A CITY SEAL CONCEIVED IN SIN-A FREE LIBRARY REVIVED-CITY GRADES ESTABLISHED-MAILS IMPROVED- GREAT FLOOD OF 1844-BUSINESS PARTIALLY REVIVED-COMPARA- TIVE CITY AND COUNTY POPULATION-FERTILE YEAR OF 1848- TELEGRAM SENT "QUICK AS LIGHTNING"-FIRST REAL CITY DIRECTORY-GROWTH OF THE TOWN UP TO 1848-QUINCY EXODU'S OF GOLD HUNTERS, 1848-50-FIRST DAILY MAIL AND DAILY NEWS- PAPER-MADE A PART OF ENTRY-ILLUMINATING GAS AND OTHER BRIGHT LOCAL THINGS-THE LINCOLN-DOUGLAS FESTIVITIES-THIE MAYORS OF THE CITY-PUBLIC QUESTIONS ADJUDGED BY POPULAR VOTE-THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF QUINCY-FRANKLIN, THE FATHER OF THEM ALL-JEFFERSON AND WEBSTER SCHOOLS-OTHER PUB- LIC INSTITUTIONS OF LEARNING-OFFICIAL SCHOOL MANAGEMENT- STRONG FEATURES OF THE PRESENT SYSTEM-SCHOOL SAVINGS- THE JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL-RAISING THE TEACHING STANDARD- PRESENT STATUS OF SCHOOLS THE FIRE DEPARTMENT-THE QUINCY WATER WORKS-QUINCY'S WORST FIRE-THE PARK AND BOULEVARD SYSTEM-MR. PARKER'S SELF-SACRIFICE-LOYAL CO- WORKERS-OFFICERS 1888-1918-SOURCES OF PARK REVENUE- THE PARKS IN DETAIL THE CEMETERIES-THE POLICE OF QUINCY -QUINCY GAS, ELECTRIC AND HEATING COMPANY-LOCAL TRANS- PORTATION SYSTEMS.
What is known as Quiney has already emerged indistinetly, and through various fragments of history, in certain of the printed pages
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which have gone before. In a few chapters which follow it is pro- posed to develop the successive settlement, town and city more syste- matically, until such time as it has grown to such proportions that it is necessary to break the subject as a whole into sub-topics. The latter are to set forth in detail the educational, religious, benevolent, charitable, business, financial and industrial agencies which have been steadily at work in the evolution of Quincy into a strong and complex modern city.
MAGIC OF HISTORIC RESTORATION
To start with the site of Quincy, before the settlement was even conceived-how did it look ? In order to restore the primitive picture, the historical plan must be the reverse of the scientific method of geologists in their restoration of Mastodons and other animals of the prehistorie world. They have a few bones and existing beasts of some- what similar structure for comparison; to be used as data in the composition of the monsters and freaks (judged by the forms of today) which passed away as entities ages ago. In the restoration of pictures a century old, the American historian has to labor under the disadvantage of having them buried under the mass of rapid growths which has quite obliterated the past. But printing comes to the rescue ; those who were alive a century ago have placed their impres- sions in type, and the historian takes a line here and a line there until he can achieve what would otherwise be a magic and almost impossible restoration.
Gen. John Tillson, the veteran of the Civil war and the talented home writer, projecting the landscape of a century ago upon what was, at the time of his writing, the young City of Quincy, has done this in such masterly fashion, that his words are quoted : "Little can one who looks today upon the broad and beautiful area on which our bustling city stands realize the contrast of the present scene, with the wild solitnde that revives in the retrospection of nearly a century. One may indeed imagine the aspect of the locality, were the buildings all removed, the streets all abandoned and all tokens of life taken away. But permanent changes have been effected; landscape lines are now gone; physical features forever effaced, which only a few survivors ever saw.
"Years ago, as the first white settler saw it, before axe or plough had desecrated nature's sanctity, the city was marked by alternations of timber and prairie; timber in the ravines, along the streams, cover- ing also the crest and river face of the bluffs; and prairie generally on the level land and the ridges which separated the ravines. The timber was usually heavy except near the heads of the draws, where it became gradually lighter or altogether disappeared. The prairie was luxuriant, not with the long swamp grass of the bottom lands nor of the prairies in Southern Illinois, but with a grass about breast
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high and very thick. It did not, as many imagine, reach to the river or even to the verge of the bluffs.
THE PRESENT LAID UPON THE PAST
"Along the river bank from what is now known as Broadway to Delaware, there stood a seattering growth of trees, while south of the latter point the rank, luxuriant, almost impenetrable vegeta- tion common to our bottom lands, prevailed. The strip of lands below the bluffs and along the river was then mueh narrower than at present ; the hills having been eut and blasted away. From Broadway south to Delaware the rock eropped out continuously, and was always visible at an average stage of water. For keel and steamboats, the usual landing place was then, and long after, between Vermont and Broadway; probably selected because the trees here were convenient to tie to and the river plateau was broader; also because they were more sheltered from the wind. It was easy to get into the river again from there, as at that time the point of the 'island' lay much higher up than at present ; in fact, the main river channel ran directly over it, where is now the highest growth of willows on the Tow Ilead.
"The present area of the city was about equally divided between timber and prairie, the latter slightly predominating. The prairie from the east threw out four long arms or feelers, as if striving to reach the river; one of these extended as far as Eighth Street in what is now known as Berrian's Addition ; a second about the same distance on State Street; a third creeping into the heart of the city and narrowing down. pushing diagonally aeross the publie square nearly to Third Street, and the fourth broke in about Chestnut and Twelfth; thenee, 'with many a winding hout,' almost lost at times, reached nearly to Sunset Hill. East of Eighteenth Street all was prairie save a short thicket spur which ran eastward a few blocks from the Alstyne quarter near Chestnut Street, and a small grove of young trees at what is now Highland Park, which has greatly increased in size.
"Between Twelfth and Eighteenth, in John Moore's Addition, all excepting a small sliee off' the northwest corner, was prairie. On the south side of Governor Wood's large field about Eighteenth and Jefferson there stood about twenty acres of heavy timber, part of which may still be seen. Along the rear of the present (written in 1857) residenees of Messrs. L. Bull, MeFadon and Pinkham lay a small thieket, and a similar shaped strip of larger growth stretched across the Alstyne quarter from near Broadway and Eighteenth to the corner of the Berrian quarter, uniting west of Twelfth with the forest in Cox's Addition.
"To follow the division line between the prairie and timber, let one commenee in Eighteenth Street on the south line of the city facing north. On his right hand all was prairie ; on the left, timber. The line ran nearly dne north almost to Jefferson Street, erossing the
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latter a little west of Eighteenth, pushed three or four hundred feet into Governor Wood's large field, then turned sharply around in a southwesterly direction, recrossed Jefferson about Fourteenth, crossed Twelfth near Monroe, thence ran through Berrian's Addition in a direction somewhat south-of-west to near Eighth where, curving back almost on itself, it inclosed a pretty little prairie islet of about ten acres. Thence it bore northeasterly, crossing Jefferson about Ninth, touching Twelfth (but not crossing) at Payson Avenue; there swing- ing around toward the west, it followed nearly the line of Ohio to Eighth, then north along Eighth to near where Dick's Brewery now stands ; thence east, irregularly parallel with Kentucky, just touching the northeast corner of Governor Wood's garden; thence, veering northwest, it crossed Twelfth just north of York and then ran east- ward nearly to Eighteenth from this point (Jersey and Sixteenth), the dividing line between the timber and prairie turned west again and, passing through the back part of L. Bull's grounds, gradually neared Maine Street so as to take in the Webster School House, a few of the trees standing there yet. From the corner of Maine and Twelfth it ran, by a wavering line, to the corner of Hampshire and · Eighth. This part of the city (Droulard's quarter between Eighth and Twelfth) was ent by ravines running from north to south, all of them sustaining thickets of various lengths according to the size of the ravine and all pointing northward. The postoffice building stands on what was prairie, but just on the southern edge. The line from there ran west, slightly inelining to the south, so as to cross the corner of Sixth and Maine streets diagonally. It passed southwest, touched Fifth Street, followed it down on the east side as far as the engine house, crossed the street there, leaving Robert Tillson's lot corner of Fifth and Jersey, part in the prairie and part in the brush. Thence it went southwest to near the corner of York and Fourth, crossing Fourth at the alley between York and Kentucky. Bending then somewhat south, then west, then north, all in this same block, it recrossed York near Third. This was the most westerly limit, the nearest approach that the prairie made to the river. Imme- diately west across Third Street, there lay, embosomed in the thick timber, a pretty little pond, a noted resort for wild ducks covering about three acres, its western limit reaching nearly to the erest of the bluff. Vestiges of this little lake existed as late as 1840 and later. Long before this the timber had disappeared, and the pond was finally drained in cutting York Street through to the bluff.
"Thence the prairie line went back, passing north up Third to Jersey, thence diagonally across Block 18 to the corner of Maine and Fourth, thence north along the west side of Fourth with the square (all prairie) on the right, it turned across Fourth just north of Hamp- shire, struck Vermont at Fifth, passed along the southern edge of Jefferson Square, about one third of the square being prairie. That portion which was afterward a burying ground crossed Broadway near Seventh, still running northeast, crossed Eighth, then took a
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nearly direct course to Twelfth. Not erossing Twelfth, it bore off in an irregular line toward the northwest and, running almost to Sunset Ilill, before reaching which it swept around to the right and north and again east and southeast, joining itself to the heavy timber in Cox's Addition, making in this part of the city just sneh a prairie island as we have mentioned in Berrian's Addition, only a greatly larger one.
"The natural drainage of the city was defective, entailing no small amount of difficulty and expense in providing for needed sewerage. The reason of this is that along the river front the ravines which ran up into the bluff, were extremely short, scareely draining as far east as the public square. A larger portion of the eity, especially that most easily settled, was drained to the east. By far the largest portion of the water that fell ran in the watershed inclines toward the east instead of direct to the river, and found its way there finally, through the great ravines that seamed the eastern and central portion of the place.
"The crest of the bluff immediately overlooking the river, seal- loped as it was on the western faee by these seant ravines, was yet highest along the line of Second and Third streets and thenee toward the east the land deseended for some distance. The average height of the bluffs above low water mark was 126 feet. The erest occa- sionally rose into little conieal peaks, in many of which bones, weapons and other remains of the Indian raee have been found.
"The highest among these was Mount Pisgah. It stood on the south side of Maine near Second and was much the highest peak on the bluffs, commanding a most attractive view of the river and our rich surroundings in every direction. Its name was earned first by the promising prospects it offered, and afterward was kept and claimed, so it is said, from the many promises there made, when, in later years, it became the trysting place of negotiating lads and lasses during the dusky hours. The streets have shorn away its western and northern faee, the vandal grasp of improvement toppled its high head to the dust, the very heart of the haughty hill has been washed into the waves of the river on which it had frowned for eenturies, but there is many a peruser of these pages who will always cherish pleasant and regretful remembrances of the venerable mount."
Even the present resident of Quiney may thus picture to himself the natural features of the city's site, as it was viewed by Justns Perigo and Daniel Lisle, the first settlers of the county, and by John Wood and Willard Keyes, the founders of the settlement at the Binff's. The story of their coming in 1824, with the arrival of John Droulard, the French shoemaker and others, has already been told. Also the fixing of the county seat, its platting and the three-ply honor be- stowed on John Quiney Adams. Notation has further been made of the arrival of Dr. Thomas Baker, the pioneer physician of the county, who built his cabin abont two miles south of the Wood- Keyes-Droulard settlement.
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CORN AND COON GRIST
One item connected with the activities of Doctor Baker has been reserved for this very place. His practice was not large enough to support him, even in comfort ; so he put np a mechanism comprising a fair-sized pestle and mortar which was operated by the water of a · small creek then running through a portion of Quincy's site and which was designed to pound corn into a suitable condition to be transformed into hoe-cakes. The reports which descend from his day are to the effect that this first "mill" constructed within the present city limits of Quincy performed its offices as well as could be ex- pected, except upon one occasion when the owner and operator did not reckon on an abnormal grist. A hungry coon got mixed with the inner workings of the grist mill, after the machinery had been set in motion and the operator had left it to finish the pounding of that particular lot of corn. Br'er Coon was pounded with a hearty good will all night and well into the morning before its remains were sep- arated and extricated from the customary grist. That was the only tragedy connected with the doctor's pioncer mill, which was planted in 1824.
QUINCY'S SITE HARD BUYING
In the following year, as stated, Quincy was platted by Judge H. H. Snow; but not without some troublous preliminaries. Although the county seat had been located and named, it could not be platted until the land was actually owned by the young County of Adams. The land was not yet in the market, and it could be pre-empted only under the congressional act by which after a quarter section had been designated as a county seat $200 should be deposited at the Land Office to confirm such pre-emption. Two hundred dollars to be raised in Quincy in those days would be like attempting to move Mount Pisgah from its base. But somcone happened to think of Russell Farnham, a river trader of growing prosperity who soon afterward took out a peddler's license in Adams County. After a delegation had waited upon the capitalist, however, he was induced to loan the county the coveted $200, after he had taken the joint note of the commissioners which was, in turn, endorsed by H. H. Snow and David E. Cuyler. In the following month, this note was taken up and another substituted without endorsers; which leads the his- torian to believe that Mr. Farnham was commencing to have more confidence in the stability of the County of Adams.
Even then, the difficulty was not completely adjusted. The "quar- ter" upon which the county seat was located was fractional and had not been carefully surveyed. Money was pitifully scarce, the county could not see its way clear to meet certain expenses, and therefore a portion of the $200 was at first withheld. But the Land Office insisted on all, promising to refund any balance that might be due
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the county after the survey should be made; that was finally done, as it was determined that the "quarter" which the county pre-empted contained in reality but 154 acres.
ORIGINAL TOWN PLATTED
The county having a preliminary title to its seat of justice ap- pointed Judge Snow its surveyor and platter, and named December 13, 1825, as the day for the first sale of lots. Five streets were platted. east and west-the central one called Maine, with Hampshire and Vermont, York and Jersey, on either side ; the four streets were named after the states from which came the three commissioners and the elerk. The first north and south street east of the river was Front. with the six parallel thoroughfares therefrom designated numerically. The survey was made in rods, not feet. Block No. 12, Washington Park, was reserved as a publie square. A strip of land was also set apart along the river for the purposes of a publie landing, and the tier of lots on Fifth Street between Maine and Hampshire for "publie purposes."
In 1826 the south half of what is now Jefferson Square was re- served as a burial ground, and the lot on Fifth Street immediately north of the courthouse for school purposes.
HOW THE LOTS SOLD
The original sale of town lots occurred as ordered by the Board of County Commissioners on December 13, 1825. It was continued from time to time, as the county commissioners might order, and the last of the lots in the first plat was not sold until 1836. The sale was advertised in the St. Louis and Edwardsville papers, but no one came to bid from the outside world except Doctor Mullen, an army surgeon, who just happened to be present and bought a few lots. There were fifty-one purchasers altogether at the first day's sale. The terms were one-fourth eash and the remainder in three annual payments.
Lots on the bluff's eaused the most competition ; and there was a good reason for it. The only cabin on the quarter seetion, that of Willard Keyes, was located in that portion of the plat, and one of the prospective townsmen, who was none too friendly, made the owner bid as high as $38 to save his improvements. That was the highest priee paid for any one lot and the Keyes sale foreed up the price of other lots in the vicinity, in Blocks 5 and 6, on Front Street.
THE HOTEL CORNER, IHIGHEST PRICED LOT
The highest price paid for any lot around the Square was the corner on which now stands the Newcomb House and which was then located on the ridge that ran northeast and southwest across what
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is now Washington Park. Rufus Brown paid $27 for it and bought it for a tavern stand; it has been used for that purpose ever since. The old Quincy House was afterward erected on the site of Brown's pioneer inn.
FIRST COURTHOUSE LOCATED
The first courthouse was located by order of the County Board, four days after this first sale, on lot 6, block 11. This placed it in the edge of a natural grove which then was on Fifth Street near the corner of Maine. It faced west. The county commissioners directed the contractors to lay the logs of the courthouse "as close together as they are in J. Rose's house;" which was the cabin occu- pied by John Wood and Jeremiah Rose and, as it was the only building in Quiney at the time, it had to serve as a model.
TEMPLE OF JUSTICE, EDUCATION AND RELIGION
In 1827, soon after the courthouse was finished, Rev. Jabez Porter, the Presbyterian clergyman from Massachusetts, opened his select school therein for the dozen families with children at Quiney and in the vicinity. In the following year he commenced to preach in the same building, which therefore had the honor of providing a home for the courts and county government, and for the first efforts to educate the community mentally, morally and spiritually. There were other evidences that the people were alive to the wisdom of fostering the cause of education. In September, 1828, the county commissioners ordered that lot 4, block 11, be reserved "for the sole and only pur- pose of erecting thereon a school house or school houses, or an academy or seminary of learning" for the people of Adams County. "Sole and only purpose" was certainly an expression doubly buttressed with definiteness; notwithstanding, the order of the court was not per- manently obeyed, as the succeeding fifty years saw the tract grad- ually carved into pieces and distributed among private owners.
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