USA > Illinois > Adams County > Quincy > Quincy and Adams County history and representative men, Vol. I > Part 51
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The year 1857 brought some innovations and some improvements. The city ordinances were revised, the houses numbered and the city surveys and grades systematized. The Public Square, which, for twenty years or more, had known no other name, was formally chris- tened Washington Park by resolution of the City Council.
THE LINCOLN-DOUGLAS FESTIVITIES
During the fall succeeding its change in name from the Public Square to Washington Park, this historie ground of Quincy was given an increased measure of fame by being made the scene of one of the noted debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas, during their 1858 campaign for the United States senatorship. The exact date of the meeting, receptions, processions and festivities- for the occasion brought out all those events and more-was October 13, 1858. Each champion and political leader had his own reception committee, his own procession, and his own local newspaper ; of course, the Whig and Republican was the Lincoln organ and the Herald blew its blasts for Douglas.
The Committee of Arrangements for the reception of "Hon. A. Lincoln" (how much less dignified than simply Lincoln ) met as early
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as October 5th at the office of Jonas & Asbury. Finally the day so big with events arrived, and the two processions and divided citizens, with the Whig and the Herald blazing the way, set themselves to make the most of the situation. The republican procession, headed by E. K. Stone, with Capt. B. M. Prentiss and John Wood, Jr., as aides, formed on Broadway, its right resting on Sixth Street. Stig's brass band followed the marshal and his aides. The republican clubs and citizens on foot assembled in Jefferson Square and formed the head of the procession. At 9 o'clock the procession marched to the depot, and Mr. Lincoln was received by a delegation of citizens, who escorted him to the carriage reserved for him. With other convey- anees and a cavalcade of horsemen, the procession then eountermarched up Broadway, down Third to Jersey, up Jersey to Eighth, up that thoroughfare to Hampshire, down Hampshire to Fourth, down Fourth to Maine, up Maine to Fifth, and up Fifth to the front of the court- house, where the distinguished guest was formally welcomed by the Committee on Reception. After this part of the programme had been carried out, the procession proceeded through the principal streets of the eity to the residence of O. H. Browning, where John Tillson, ean- didate for state senator, presented a beautiful bouquet to Lineolu which was a gift from the republican ladies of Quiney. After a few words from the great republican, a choir of young ladies and gentle- men sung "Columbia, the Gem of the Oecan," and the procession dis- banded. Mr. Lineoln was entertained and dined at Mr. Browning's residence and afterward escorted to Washington Square. At 2 o'clock he opened the debate with the Little Giant.
In the meantime Judge Douglas had been taken in hand by the local democracy. Dr. I. T. Wilson was the chief marshal of the pro- eession, which formed at the courthouse, at about 9:30 A. M., and after taking a detour up Broadway to Twelfth, where the delegations from the north joined it-and at other points, those from the east and south and from the river distriets-it marehed past the Quiney Honse. Judge Douglas, at that point in the line of marehi, showed himself at a second-story window. The procession was disbanded at noon. The Herald said it was two miles in length, and the greatest affair of the kind in the history of Quincy. The Whig and Republican made the same elaims for the Lincoln demonstration and, as the writer was not there to judge for himself, these respective newspaper elaims must be left un-umpired.
It was agreed that the crowd around the debating stand had never been execeded and could not have been less than ten or twelve thousand people. Mr. Lincoln opened the debate and spoke for an hour. Judge Douglas then made a speech of an hour and a half, and the republican leader elosed with a half-hour response.
The Herald added: "The Democracy assembled again in the evening around the stand in the Publie Square, no house in the city being large enough to contain the fourth of them, where they were
QUINCY SURVIVORS OF THE LINCOLN-DOUGLAS DEBATE OF 1858 Gathering in 1908 at Washington Park
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addressed by Mr. Arntzen, of this city, and Mr. Reed, of Keokuk. Thus began and thus ended the day-the most glorious to the De- mocracy that Quincy ever saw."
Even to this day, the Lincoln-Douglas debate, with the attendant celebrations and ceremonials, is held in remembrance by a very few and, in tradition, by writers and makers of local history, as one of the greatest events of the city's publie life. The fiftieth anniversary of that event was another gala day observed with seareely less en- thusiasm than the original oeeasion, although the chief participants in the golden celebration-the survivors of the first-were as a sunny cotton field in the South, thick with white and glistening bolls. The Lincoln-Douglas festival is a fair dividing line between the city of the past and that of the present. From that time on, Quiney branches out in so many different directions, that it is thought advisable to handle the details topically.
THE MAYORS OF THE CITY
Without going into details as to the personalities of the mayors of Quiney, it may be said that some of the ablest men of the city have served in that eapacity-such as John Wood, Samuel Holmes and Thomas Redmond. As a rule, it may be said that they have combined publie spirit with business sagaeity ; which is as it should be.
The successive incumbents of the mayoralty have been as follows : Ebenezer Moore, 1840-41 ; Enoeh Conyers, 1842-43; John Wood, 1844- 47; John Abbe. 1848; Enoch Conyers, 1849; Samuel Holmes, 1850- 51; John Wood, 1852-53: James M. Pittman, 1854-55; John Wood, 1856; Sylvester Thayer, 1857; James M. Pittman, 1858; Robert S. Benneson, 1859; Thomas Jasper, 1860; 1. O. Woodruff, resigned, 1861 : Thomas Redmond, filled vacancy, and elected until 1864; George F. Waldhaus, 1865; Maitland Boone, 1866; James M. Pittman. 1867 : Presley W. Lane, 1868; B. F. Berrian, 1869; J. G. Rowland, 1870-72; Frederick Rearick, 1873-74; J. M. Smith, 1875; E. H. Turner, 1876; L. D. White, 1877; W. T. Rogers, 1878-79; J. K. Webster. 1880-81; D. F. Deadriek, 1882-83; James Jarrett, 1884; .Jonathan Parkhurst, 1885-86; James M. Bishop, 1887; George H. Walker, 1890; E. J. Thompson, 1891; John P. Mikesell, 1892-94; John A. Steinbach, 1895-1908; John H. Best, 1908; John A. Stein- bach, 1910: John F. Garner, 1912; William K. Abbott, 1914; John 1. Thompson, 1916-
PUBLIC QUESTIONS ADJUDGED BY POPULAR VOTE
Of late years a number of important questions have been brought before the voters of Quincy for the recording of their judgment. In January, 1911. by a vote of 3,834 to 2.070, they decided against adopting the commission form of government. At the April election of 1914 the voters recorded their decision on the question "Shall this
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city become anti-saloon territory?" as follows: Yes-1,386 men and 1,903 women; No-6,544 men and 4,473 women. At the same elee- tion the proposition to take over the water works us municipal prop- erty was carried by a majority of 4,743.
PIONEER PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF QUINCY
The somewhat disorganized, but nevertheless necessary steps which were taken in the early '40s by such good and far-sighted citizens of Quiney, as Dr. J. N. Ralston. John Wood and R. S. Benneson, to change the local schools from a private to a public nature, have already been described. Their real organization as a compaet and inde- pendent system dates from the year 1847, when, under legislative authority, the city was divided into school districts in control of the municipality. In JIune of that year the City Council appointed as the executive head of the local system, or the superintendent of schools, Isaae M. Grover, the former school commissioner of the county. The then existing schools, the Franklin and Jefferson, were opened under his superintendeney in September, 1847.
It was not until the fall and winter of 1855 that the Webster school was erected. Two years afterward the Irving District was organized, and the schoolhouse built, and about the same time the colored school (now the Lineoln), then conducted in a small cabin on Oak Street, came under the jurisdiction of the city.
RADICAL WORK OF HOPE S. DAVIS
Hope S. Davis, who was superintendent from 1856 to 1858 and from 1860 to 1864, graded the classes into higher, intermediate and primary departments, which was considerable of an improvement. Teachers were also engaged to specialize in the departments named. The late '50s brought forth radieal improvements in the classification of the scholars, the apparatus and mechanical facilities provided and the general condnet of the schools.
Previous to that period the Franklin and Jefferson schools, with one room on each floor, had two teachers in a room, both of them condneting their miscellaneous assortment of pupils at either end. Neither of the schools had a blackboard : the Webster. as the newer school, was favored with one. As a rule, the seats ran lengthwise of the rooms. On the elevated ones, at the ends, sat the big boys and girls. The chief classification of the pupils was according to phys- ical size. although there was a division into reading and spelling classes, without any elose distinction as to comparative acquirements. The only thing about the schools of that period that seemed to par- take of order was the series of "blue laws." providing that the scholars must be on hand at 8:45 o'clock and the doors should be promptly opened at 9 o'clock. A certain number of "tardies" made a scholar liable to suspension : a certain higher number, to expulsion.
THE LINCOLN SCHOOL ( COLORED)
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When improvements became the order of the day, the superin- tendent, armed with authority from the City Council, partitioned each school building into four rooms. The oldl seats were replneed by new ones; blackboards were installed, and finally the different grades were furnished with text books. The backward element op- posed these innovations, but the tide of publie sentiment was turned in their direction by the very ereditable ("grand," in the local prints| exhibition of school work made at Kendall's Hall in the spring of 1857. It was the first exhibition of the kind, and all of the friends of the public school system, and some of its former opponents, emphatically pronounced it an eye-opener. Later, when the really strong and intelligent element proposed to increase the prevailing public school tax of 1215 eents, opposition again developed, but when it was assaulted by such knights as Ahneron Wheat, Jackson Grimshaw, Samuel Holmes and A. W. Blakesley, it speedily and permanently subsided.
WIIY TITE BOARD OF EDUCATION WAS CREATED
In the winter of 1860-61, largely through the instrumentality of Superintendent Davis, a law was enacted by the Legislature creat- ing the Board of Education of Quiney. Previous to that time, the title to all public school property was vested in the city as a corporate hody. Some of the property, a portion of the Webster School lot, was levied on for a city debt, was sold and had to be redeemed, while other city creditors, none too friendly toward the publie school system, were threatening the Jefferson and the Franklin lots. The true friends of public education, who wished to remove all unneees- sary trammels to free development, supported the law creating a Board of Education with vim and sneeess.
The first Quincy Board of Education organized under that law, in 1861. consisted of Thomas Jasper, president: Hope S. Davis, superintendent : John W. Brown, clerk ; George I. King and A. W. Blakesley, members. Before the commencement of the fall term of that year a complete graded system for the schools was adopted. In the year named was also established the first Quiney Teachers' Institute. When the board formally organized, it was called upon to conduct the Franklin, Jefferson and Webster schools, and leased the old Unitarian Church, corner of Sixth and Jersey streets, for the new Center School.
With the title to school properties thus protected, the '60s showed quite a remarkable programme of building and general development projected and realized. The subject is so subdivided at this point that sketches of the different public schools of Quiney follow in the chronological order of the completion of the original buildings.
FRANKLIN SCHOOL OF THE P'RESENT
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FRANKLIN, THE FATHER OF THEM ALL
In 1870. after it had been the home of the high school for four years, the old Franklin building was replaced by a fifteen room structure, erceted at a cost of $40,000 and then the last manifesta- tion of modern architecture and convenience as applied to Quincy structures set aside for purposes of education. In 1873, the at. tendanee from its district had so increased that the York Street Primary was opened across the street from the Franklin School.
The Franklin School was destroyed by fire on February 16, 1905, and at a special election held in the following month the people authorized the City Council to issue bonds in the sum of $120,000 to rebuild it. It stands on Third Street, between York and Ken- tueky, and is one of the model schools of the city.
OTHER PUBLIC SCHOOLS
The Jefferson school house, long before its disappearance, had become an eye-sore to the people of Quincy. Fortunately, in 1875 the county desired its site to complete the grounds for the new court house, and, as has been narrated. the Board of Education finally transferred it for that purpose. In November, of that year. the city purchased for $30,000 the Quincy English and German College building, corner of Fourth and Spring, and oreupied it for more than forty years. The New Jefferson School, as it is called. was formally opened in February, 1916, and is one of the best adapted in the city.
As stated, the old Webster School was built about 1855. In 1873 it was almost completely remodeled, as some doubts had arisen as to its safety, and in 1904 the third building was erected at a cost of $63.000. The site of the school is on Maine near Twelfth Street.
The Lincoln School and its predecessor were devoted to the edu- cation of the colored children. The house has always stood on Tenth Street between Spring and Oak. As established in 1861 it was little more than a hnt. Miss Louisa Alexander was its first teacher. Until 1872, its status was inseeure, and it was closed several times on account of small attendance, but in 1872 a neat four-room house was erected and ocenpied until 1910, when the larger and more convenient building now occupied was erected.
The high school was first organized in the Center building dur- ing September, 1864: moved to what is now the Jackson School in 1866, and not long afterward to the Franklin. The handsome strue- ture of the present at the corner of Twelfth and Maine streets was completed in 1891 and enlarged in 1903, at a total cost of over $100.000.
The Irving School on Payson Avenue, between Eighth and Ninth streets, was built in 1864 at a cost of about $3,500; in 1873 two rooms
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were added to the original four and the old portion of the building remodeled, and in 1895 an altogether new house was erected at a cost of nearly $8,000.
The original Jackson School building, corner of Vine and Eighth streets, was erected by private parties as the "Quincy Academy." In 1866 the building was owned by Willard Keyes, and in July of that year the Board of Education purchased it of him for $12,000, and opened the Quincy High School therein. When the high school was moved to the Franklin, the Jackson resumed its old name. The building was wrecked by a tornado in 1875, but immediately rebuilt, at a cost of $6,000. In April, 1913, the people voted $50,000 bonds for a new school building.
In 1867 the directors of School District No. 4, Melrose Township, conveyed the building know as the Madison School, at Maine and
THE PRESENT HIGH SCHOOL
Twenty-Fifth streets, to the Quincy Board of Education, in con- sideration of the privilege of frec attendance granted pupils who might reside outside the city limits, but in Section 6, Melrose Town- ship. A new building was erected in 1890, for more than $9,000, and an addition to it, in 1898, which cost even more than the former structure.
The Berrian School, located at the corner of Eighth and Van Buren streets, was built in 1868 at a cost of $7,200.
The original Washington School was built in 1869, at Sixth Ave- nue, North and Cherry Street, on nearly the same plan as the Ber- rian. The new building completed in 1898 eost about $10,000.
The Dewey, formerly called the Highland School, at Twenty-First and Cherry streets, was erected in 1889 at a cost of over $4,000, and in 1898 an addition was made to it at about the same expense. It was then that the name was changed from Highland to that which
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honored one of the great figures of the American Navy. The mag- nificent New Dewey School has been but recently completed at a cost of $95,000. It is a nine-room structure, with large auditorium and gymnasium, fireproof and strictly modern in all its conveniences, sanitary arrangements and general appliances.
In 1891 the Adams School building was erected, corner of Twen- tieth and Jefferson streets, at a cost of nearly $31.000.
The Emerson School, massive and elegant, modern in all its ap- pointments, is located at Thirteenth and Washington streets, and was completed in 1900 at a cost of more than $20.000.
LOCAL SCHOOL MANAGEMENT
The first president of the Quincy Board of Education was Thomas Jasper, who served in Mareh-August, 1861 ; 1. O. Woodruff, 1861-62; William Marsh, 1862-64: 1. O. Woodruff, 1864-66: A. J. Lubbe, 1866-67: P. A. Goodwin, 1867-72; R. S. Benneson, 1872-86; A. W. Wells, 1886-93; Joseph Robbins, 1893-97; George W. Earhart, 1897- 1901: Diekerson MeAfee, 1901-03: William II. Collins, 1903-10; R. J. Christie, 1910-14; George Gabriel, 1914 -.
The successive superintendents of the Quiney schools have been as follows: Isaac M. Grover, 1847-50; C. J. Swartwout, 1850-51; John Murphy, 1851-52; Warren A. Reed, 1852-54; John Murphy, 1854-56: Hope S. Davis, 1856-58; N. T. Lane, 1858-59; B. B. Went- worth, 1859-60; Hope S. Davis, 1860-64; A. W. Blakesley, 1864-65; J. W. Brown, 1865-66; W. G. Ewing, 1866-67; JJames Lowe, 1867-69; J. W. Brown, 1869-71; T. W. Maefall. 1871-97 ; A. A. Seehorn, 1897- 1901: F. G. Ertel, 1901-03: David B. Rawlins, 1903-10; E. G. Bau- man, 1910-16: Charles M. Gill, 1916-
A. W. Starkey was the first principal of the Quiney High School, and he has been succeeded by II. A. Farwell, C. C. Robbins, William B. Corbyn. W. F. Geiger. David B. Rawlins, J. E. Pearson, V. K. Fronla, C. R. Maxwell, Sheridan W. Ehrman. Zens L. Smith and .J. F. Wellemayer.
STRONG FEATURES OF THE PRESENT SYSTEM
Not a few of the strongest features of the present system of edu- cation as illustrated through the workings of the Quiney schools have been evolutions of the past dozen or fifteen years. Among these may be mentioned the beautifying of school grounds and of the houses themselves under the molding influenees of Superintendent Rawlins, the cementing and solidifying of the entire system through the establishment of the Junior High School, by Superintendent Banman, and the further raising of teaching qualifications, and the liberalization of the entire system, under the direction of the pres- ent ineumbent, Charles M. Gill. Such statements cannot be more
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THE NEW JACKSON SCHOOL
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forcibly supported than by condensing and extracting from some of their annual reports.
In noting the changes in the surroundings of the different schools buildings, Mr. Rawlins remarked in his 1910 report: "On the evening of June 14, 1901, as I came up from the Burlington Depot. I saw the Jefferson School building for the first time. The building was much as it is now except that a number of old unsani- tary ont-buildings obstructed the view from the north. The grounds were entirely barren, the north half being covered with rubbish and adorned with a healthy erop of weeds. Little or no shrubbery eoukl be seen. To the stranger coming up Oak Street to-day, Jefferson School grounds present the appearance of a public park and play- ground. Grass, flowers, trees and shrubbery abound. Playground apparatus is at hand for the children, and the old unsanitary out- buildings have been replaced by a neat, attractive building in which sanitary toilet fixtures have been installed. What has been said about Jefferson School grounds applies with equal foree to the grounds at High, Webster, Jackson, Franklin, Berrian and other schools. There was not a well equipped and properly kept play- ground in the city. To-day the school grounds are reasonably equipped with playground apparatus, the lawns are well kept and beautified with shrubbery. In short, the people of the city ean well afford to be proud of their school grounds. In this connection I wish to acknowledge the assistance given by Mr. E. J. Parker in the work of beantifying the sehool grounds and to recommend that his suggestions be sought and followed in the years to come. Anyone who visits our beautiful parks must be impressed with the thought that he who has worked so hard for Quincy's Park System has be- stowed upon her people an inestimable boon and earned the fullest measure of their gratitude."
SCHOOL SWINGS SYSTEM
Superintendent Rawlins also notes that the School Savings Sys- tem was adopted in 1904. in connection with the savings department of the Quiney National Bank. The innovation has worked well in Quincy. as elsewhere in the country, and habits of economy and business system have been formed of inestimable value. Such re- sults, brought about fifteen years ago, have doubtless benefitted young men and women of to-day in the problems of economy which so many are called upon to solve.
THE JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Regarding this subject, of which he is past and present master, Superintendent E. G. Bauman said in his report to the Board of Education, in April, 1914: "Four problems are facing us at this
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time as a Board of Education. These problems are (1) more needed room to take care of our increasing high school enrollment; (2) a seeming gap between the eighth grade and the first year of the high school; (3) the loss of too many boys and girls at the completion of the eighth grade; (4) more or less waste of time because of the methods of the elementary grades being carried through the gram- mar grades, as contemplated in the present arrangement of the so- called eight-four plan.
"I wish to submit to you a rearrangement of our present system whereby it is changed from the eight-four plan to a six-six plan. That is to say, instead of having cight years devoted to the element- ary grades and four years to the high school, let there be six years devoted to the elementary grades and six years to the high school- three years to a so-called Junior High School. I would do away with the present eighth grade commencement. I would establish various centers for doing Junior High School work, these centers to accommodate all the seventh, eighth and ninth grades of the city. These centers should be so located as to reduce to a minimum the dis- tance for the different pupils in the various parts of the city.
"I would make the work of the Junior High School depart- mental-a plan which we have already introduced in most of our seventh and eighth grade work. I would put the work in the Junior High School on the credit basis, so as to make it possible for pupils to advance by credits rather than by grades or classes. The ad- vantage in this would be that it would make it possible for the aver- age pupil to gain considerable time in the completion of the course. In formulating a course of study for the Junior High School, I would have it include foreign languages (Latin and German), alge- bra, business, arithmetic, civics, general science, etc."
The six-six plan was finally adopted August 3, 1914, and was put into effect at the time of the opening of the schools in Septem- ber of that year. In the report for the year ending June 16, 1916, it is stated that there were then eight Junior High School centers in Quincy, three of which included the ninth grade. In the same paper, Mr. Banman noted the widespread interest taken in the movement saying that he had received during the year past nearly one hun- dred letters of inquiry regarding its workings in Quincy; that re- cently the Teachers' College of Columbia University had offered courses in the Junior High School.
OFFICIAL STANDARD OF TEACHING QUALIFICATIONS
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