USA > Illinois > Adams County > The history of Adams County Illinois : containing a history of the county - its cities, towns, etc. a biographical directory of its citizens, war record of its volunteers in the late rebellion; general and local statistics, portraits of early settlers and prominent men > Part 64
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12,558
Class D. - Lots ..
140,576
Total Value of R. R. Property Assessed in County.
$159,182.00
REAL ESTATE LANDS.
Number of Av'g Value, Assesszed
Acres.
per Acre.
Value.
Improved Landy
383,008
$21.68
$8,306,394
Unimproved Lanes
144,997
6.20
899,324
Total
528,005
$17.43
$9,205,718
$9.2)5,718
REAL ESTATE, TOWN AND CITY LOTS.
Improved Town and City Lots.
6,956
$857.61
$5,965,609 565 698
Unimproved Town and City Lots
3,20℃
176.39
Total Assessed Value of Town and City Lots
10,163
$642.65
$6,531,297
$6,531,297
Total Value of all Taxable Property Assessed in County
$19,434,373
Acres in Cultivation.
Wheat. .57,805
Corn. 99,658
Oats 19,546
Other Field Meadow. Products. 29,781 4,991
Acres in inclosed Pasture, 33,074. In orchard, 6.752. In woodland, 64.542. Nnumber of Towns in the County, 22.
Number included in this Abstract, 22.
1
Moneys of others than Bankers, etc
411,013
$2,332,490
Total Assessed Value of Lands
-
UM Pages QUINCY
453
HISTORY OF ADAMS COUNTY.
. HISTORY OF QUINCY.
CHAPTER XVI.
HISTORICAL-CITY OFFICERS-COMMERCIAL AND MANUFACTORING-ICE HAR- VEST - CHURCHES -WATER WORKS -FIRE DEPARTMENT- SCHOOLS- ACADEMY OF MUSIC-OPERA HOUSE-RAILROAD BRIDGE-MILITARY- SOCIETIES-RAILROADS-BUILDING ASSOCIATION-GAS COMPANY -- CEM- ETERIES.
Quincy, the county seat of Adams county, and the second city in size in the State of Illinois, is beautifully situated on the east bank of the Mississ- ippi, at an elevation of about one hundred and twenty feet above the water level. The bluff upon which the city is built commands a fine view of the river in both directions, and also a large expanse of adjacent territory. The river at Quincy is about one mile in width, exclusive of a large bay, which affords the finest harbor facilities throughout the entire stream.
The country in the immediate vicinity of the city is gently rolling, with large groves of trees interspersing, finely cultivated farms which in seasons of tillage are covered with abundant vegitation.
The city contains about 45,000 inhabitants, composed of southern and eastern people, as well as a large number of foreigners.
Quincy has numerous parks, some of which contain the trees that gave shade to the primitive Indian while others are the result of trans- planting. The streets, likewise, are shaded by large forest trees which when in foliage give to the city a most beautiful and refreshing apperance.
The business blocks are alike substantially constructed, and an orna- ment to the architecture of the city, while the elegant residences scattered about the city have caused Quincy to be generally known as the Gem City of the West. The lawns and shade trees with which so many homes are embellished make the houses themselves more inviting.
The commercial importance of Quincy is . unquestioned, as it is the market for a large portion of Western Illinois, whose fertility and pro- ductiveness in certain departments is unsurpassed, besides doing extensive business with the neighboring States of Missouri and Iowa, and extending its domain over the entire west and southwest. The manufacturing inter- ests of Quincy have assumed such a large showing in the past few years that facts prove beyond successful contradiction that it is in every way adapted to transact that particular branch of business, as the manufactured articles can be cheaply produced, while ample facilities exist for distributing them throughout the land. Eight distinct railroad lines connect the city with the eastern seaboard, the West, and northern and southern points, while two lines of packets from St. Louis to St. Paul give every oppor- tunity to shippers to obtain the best rates on freight. A magnificent bridge one mile and a quarter in length, spans the Mississippi river, connecting Quincy with the State of Missouri. The bridge is provided with a large
454
HISTORY OF ADAMS COUNTY.
draw which permits the passage of boats without interfering with either class of transportation.
The sanitary condition of Quincy is very good, statistics showing it to be quite as healthy as any in the United States.
The streets are laid off with perfect regularity, runing north and south, while the cross streets run east and west, intersecting each other at right angles forming blocks of four hundred feet square. The streets themselves are for the most part sixty-six feet wide, while all are broad and amply adapted to serve as thoroughfares.
From the earliest days of Quincy much attention has always been paid to organizing an efficient school system, so that at the present time the public schools stand high in point of excellence. Large and convenient school houses have been erected, a fine corps of teachers secured, and the curriculum is as advanced as the progress of the times will warrant. In addition to the public schools, a number of private and denominational schools are in useful existence, besides colleges and seminaries of still further advanced standing.
Quincy has always been distinguished for the great number, as well as the size and beauty, of her churches. The religious denominations are abont all represented, and a great number of them have erected handsome church edifices which adorn the city.
All the latest modern improvements have been made for the comfort and convenience of the citizens, including the water works, which supply the city with pure water from the river, after undergoing a natural filtration, a perfect system of sewerage, street railways, an efficient police and fire department, and gas works, which combine to make Quincy a most desir- able location for business and residence.
EARLY HISTORY.
The early history of Quincy until its incorporation as a separate town is so intimately connected with the history of Adams county that it must suffice in the present chapter to give but the salient points of the early growth of the city up to the time of the incorporation, the more detailed account being found in chapters relating to the history of the county. Quincy was settled by John Wood in 1821, and was organized as the county seat of the newly laid out county of Adams in 1825. It received the name of Quincy from the then President, John Quincy Adams. From the year 1825 to 1835 the growth of Quincy was exceedingly slow, which was due to a variety of causes, principally the lack of mills, shops and other attrac- tions for emigrants. In 1834 the town of Quincy was incorporated with Messrs. Archibald Williams, Jos. T. Holmes, S. W. Rogers, Levi Wells, and Michael Mast as trustees. From this date may be traced the rapid and substantial growth of Quincy in population, improvement and wealth.
The growth of Quincy continued until its charter. as a city in 1840, since which it has kept apace with the times, and as a city stands among the foremost of western places in every respect. The first mayor of the city of Quincy was Ebenezer Moore, while the first city clerk was S. P. Church. The first council consisted of B. F. Osborn and Jas. E. Jones, who represented the first ward; F. W. Jansen and R. R. Williams, repre- sentatives from the second ward, and J. N. Ralston and John Wood, alder- men from the third ward. Since that time the three wards have been
455
HISTORY OF ADAMS COUNTY.
increased to six, and various other changes made which the growth of the city demanded.
The following is a list of mayors from that time to the present:
Ebenezer Moore. .1840-41
Thos. Redmond (fill vacancy). 1861
Enoch Conyers . 1842-43
Thos. Redmond.
1862-64
John Wood.
1844-47
Geo. F. Waldhaus
1865
John Abbe ..
1848
Maitland Boon.
1866
Enoch Conyers 1849
Jas. M. Pitman. 1867
Samuel Holmes.
1850-51
Presley W. Lane. 1868
John Wood ..
1852-53
B. F. Berrian. 1869
Jas. M. Pitman.
1854-55
J. G. Rowland. Frederick Rearick
1873-74
Sylvester Thayer 1857
J. M. Smith
1875
Jas. M. Pitman. 1858
E. H. Turner.
1876
Robert S. Benneson
1859
L. D. White. 1877
Thos. Jasper.
.1860
W. T. Rogers
1878-79
I. O. Woodruff (resigned). 1861
The present city officers are, W. T. Rogers, mayor; A. Demaree, clerk; J. G. Rowland, comptroller; Henry Jasper, city marshall; A. J. F. Prevost, treasurer; W. A. Richardson, attorney; Jerry Shay, Sr., street commissioner; E. R. Chatten, engineer; Jeff. Renfrow, harbor master; John Bopp, clerk of markets; L. F. Lakey, city measurer; T. J. Heirs, police magistrate; Aldermen W. B. Larkworthy, B. Libby, J. B. Kreitz, Harris Swimmer, M. Goodman, Sam. Harrop, J. Q. Adams, H. Tansman, W. H. Collins, J. H. Wavering, and H. Blommer.
COMMERCIAL.
The importance of Quincy as a commercial center will readily be seen from the following tabulated statement, showing the number of establish- ments, number of employes, capital employed, and aggregate value of pro- ducts and sales, January 1, 1879, which we obtain from the Quincy Whig's annual review:
KIND OF BUSINESS.
NO. ESTAB- LISHMENTS.
NO. OF PER- SONS EM- PLOYED
CAPITAL INVESTED.
VALUE OF PRO - DUCTS OR SALES.
Agricultural improvements and plow-works.
5
200
$300,000
$600,000
Agricultural warehouses.
6
40
100,000
417,000
Baking powder.
18
45,000
Blank books, binding, etc.
20
20,000
80,000
Boiler and sheet-iron works.
2
22
20,000
· 50,000
Books and stationery ..
8
23
100,000
225,000
Boots and shoes-wholesale,
3
25
150,000
750,000
.6
66
retail .
16
60
75,000
220,000
Breweries
6
150
300,000
350,000
Brick-yards.
13
200
150,000
Builders and contractors.
30
650
250,000
425,000
Butter and eggs.
2
50
340,000
Carriage-works.
3
200
100,000
270,000
Cigar manufactories.
46
165
100,000
140,000
Clothing-wholesale.
4
35
120,000
600,000
20
70
200,000
350,000
Coffee and spice mills
1
3
15,000
Confectionery .
9
100
80,000
370,000
Cooper-shops.
40
350
100,000
300,000
Corn planter works.
2
100
70,000
220,000
Crockery, etc ..
6
18
60,000
180,000
* Distilleries.
2
30
100,000
200,000
Coal-oil and salt-wholesale.
2
8
70,000
300,000
retail.
Coal dealers. .
4
1870-72
John Wood. 1856
456
HISTORY OF ADAMS COUNTY.
Drug, paints and oils-wholesale. .. 6.
3
30
175,000
425,000 420,000
Dry goods-wholesale
2
50
700,000
2,500,000
retail ..
24
110
360,000
620,000
Fertilizing manufactory
1
File works ..
1
7
11,000
Flouring-mills.
13
156
700,000
3,152,620
Furniture factories
6
218
120,000
275,000
Gas-works ...
1
26
300,000
125,000
Groceries -- wholesale.
5
44
550,000
2,200,000
retail.
25
81
200,000
632,000
Hardware and iron.
5
50
200,000
410,000
Hats and caps-wholesale.
2
12
80,000
220,000
Hides, furs and wool.
6
33
155,000
1,000,000
Jewelry.
11
30
64,000
117,000
Lime and cement ..
7
65
124,000
268,000
Liquors and wines-wholesale ..
13
68
250,000
948,000
+ Lumber.
G
95
350,000
800,000
Marble works.
3
22
14,000
40,000
Merchant tailors.
16
93
140,000
494,000
Millinery-wholesale.
1
5
40,000
155,000
Moldings
3
12
75,000
Musical goods.
3
8
37,000
90,000
Newspapers and printing offices
9
150
200,000
220,000
Notions and toys-wholesale.
1
12
50,000
300,000
Organ factories.
3
50
30,000
160,000
Oysters and fish.
2
15
20,000
Paper and paper bags.
2
18
28,000
136,000
Paper boxes
1
16
15,000
Paper-mills.
1
65
60,000
112,000
Planing and saw-mills.
5
180
260,000
525,000
$ Pork packers.
9
50
500,000
802,168
Retail stores-mixed.
124
300
350,000
1,600,000
Saddlery, hardware, leather, etc.
30
94
118,000
350,000
Seeds. .
1
2
45,000
Sewing-machines
8
20
50,000
150,000
Shirt factories.
2
16
25,000
Stone saw-mills ..
1
15
30,000
45,000
Stove-works, foundries and machine-shops ...
7
372
500,000
800,000
Stoves and tinware.
13
64
78,000
180,000
Spring beds
1
5
5,000
Steam governor works.
1
40
90,000
110 000
Soap chandlers and lard oil
1
15
25,000
175,000
Tobacco-works.
5
1,190
800,000
3,000,000
Trunk factories
2
15
47,000
Wagon-works.
15
450
200,000
325,000
Waterworks.
1
15
100,000
100,000
Wooden-ware works.
1
12
15,000
22,000
Wood dealers
9
50
95,000
220,000
Totals
686
7,707
$11,133,000
$31,581,788
*Capacity, 6,000 gallons per day.
+ During packing season 1,200 persons employed.
# Includes pine, walnut and hard wood.
SDuring packing season 250 to 300 persons employed.
4
14
45,000
90,000
Hay-press factory.
1
10
50,000
+ Ice-packers
15
600
300,000
300,000
retail.
18
38
35,000
78,000
retail.
retail ..
22
62
300,000
ICE HARVEST.
The ice business of this city has grown so rapidly of late years as to now be classed among the most important branches of industry. Prosecuted at a time when manufacturies generally are not conducted to their full extent, and when the weather calls for aid from all quarters for the poor, the large amount of money paid out to the laboring men in mid winter furnishes
Javined Jarrett
QUINCY
457
HISTORY OF ADAMS COUNTY.
support and employment for many who would perhaps otherwise be with- out either.
The ice gathered on Quincy bay has always been of a superior quality. Consumers, especially those from the south, have therefore always been willing to pay liberally for it. When, however, the extensive brewing com- panies of St. Louis, Memphis, New Orleans, and other southern cities came here in competition for the ice, it was only a few months before the price jumped from $3 and $3.50 to $6.50 and $8 per ton. It is not to be won- dered at that, following upon a lucky strike by the ice packers, they should engage more extensively in it and be reinforced by new firms ; and that together they should expend large sums of money in building new ice- houses, and putting in improved machinery for the gathering of the crop. Some details of what has been done in this particular will prove of especial interest to the people at this time, as well as display one branch of im- provements which must be attractive to business men abroad.
A number of new and expensive buildings have been erected for ice- houses during the summer and fall. One owned by Messrs. Wood & Stew- art, completed some time ago, is valued at $5,000. It has a capacity of six thousand tons, and is located on the west side of the river. On Front street, between Hampshire and Maine, Messrs. Hutmacher & Kreitz have erected a mammoth store house, at a cost of $16.000, in which seven thousand tons can be stored; and on the bay they have just completed a new frame-the largest here, at a cost of $12,000, it. holding seventeen thousand tons. This latter is 111x225 feet. running from the bay front back to the railroad track. Near it, a little further up the bay, is the new stone ice-house of Frank Jones, calculated to hold ten thousand tons, and with machinery, and all costing nearly $20,000. John McDade also has a new stone ice-house on the bay, 110x120 feet, with forty inch walls, which will hold seven thousand five hundred tons. It cost $6,000, and is considered one of the cheapest structures of the kind ever put up.
In addition to those already mentioned, however, Messrs. Hutmacher & Kreitz have a frame house with a capacity of five thousand eight hundred tons, and Mr Jones has old ones which hold six thousand tons, making a total storage capacity of sixteen thousand tons for the latter and thirty-one thousand for the former firm. Between McDade's and Hutmacher & Kreitz's house is that of Mrs. Bond, built of brick, the oldest ice-house on the bay. It will hold four thousand tons. Hess & Loury have three houses, all on the east side of the bay, with a total capacity of thirteen thousand tons, one of these being new, built of stone and worth $5,000. Mr. James Jarrett has a wholesale ice-house on the west side of the bay, which can easily contain eight thousand tons, and another house near the railroad yards, six thousand tons, besides his retail house on Front street. Mr. Jarrett has put up several additions to the second house mentioned, during the season, and new hoisting apparatus on both sides of the bay, at an expense of $4,500, he using steam power and the Hughes, Loomis & Co's. patent for taking the ice out of the river and distributing it in any part of the ice-house. Messrs. Hutmacher & Kreitz have adopted the same system, as have also Hess & Loury. Mr. Jones has the Knickerbocker endless chain at his ice-house, while horse power is in use at the other houses where steam has not yet been adopted.
Near the deep water of the bay are located the two houses of the Missis- sippi ice company, capable of accommodating eleven thousand tons. Be-
458
HISTORY OF ADAMS COUNTY.
sides these, on the bay, are Dick Brothers', three thousand tons ; the C., B. & Q., five hundred tons ; and on the west side of the river, Whipple's, four thousand tons. In addition to all of these, however, Dick Brothers have houses on Spring street and at the brewery, for ten thousand tons additional. A number of barges are used for the same purpose ; Hutmacher & Kreitz having several and Hess & Loury eight, which will be engaged in gathering the ice in other localities. Ruff, Bro. & Co. have also erected a new ice- house near their brewery, costing over $1,000. It will be seen, from the figures given, that, with minor repairs, not less than $70,000 have been ex- pended in preparing for the ice harvest this season. If the crop is large, the dealers will put into the houses one hundred and twenty-five thousand tons, to do which they will have to employ one thousand five hundred men and several hundred teams. If the pay to the laborer is estimated cor- rectly, the gathering of the ice crop will necessitate the payment to the workingmen of the community of $35,000 to $40,000. From this fact alone can be estimated the importance of the enterprise in the city.
CHURCHES.
The church history of Quincy, commencing with the first religious place of worship in 1828, and including a brief mention of all the societies that have since been established in Quincy, will be found both interesting and instructive. The following history is from the Quincy Daily Whig of a recent date :
TIIE FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.
The early inhabitants of Quincy were first assembled for public worship in 1828, by the Rev. Jabez Porter, of Massachusetts, who came to Quincy in search of health. He organized a Sunday-school and called the people together for Sunday services in the small log court-house on the southeast corner of the public square. His health rapidly declined and in November, 1829, he died. In November, 1830, as we learn from a manual of the Congregational church, the Rev. Asa Turner, Jr., of Templeton, Mass., came to Quincy as a missionary of the American Home Missionary Society. Under his agency the first church of any name organized in Quincy, III., was formed, consisting of the following members, viz .: Amos Bancroft, Adelia Bancroft, Rufus Brown, Nancy Brown, Peter Felt, Mary Felt, Henry H. Snow, Lucy K. Snow, Levi Wells, Anna Wells, Maria Robbins, Margaret Rose, Martha Turner, Daniel Henderson and Hans Patten. This little band of fifteen took on the covenant of an organized christian fellowship on Saturday afternoon, December, 4, 1830, in the log house of Peter Felt, on the southwest corner of Maine and Fourth streets. The Rev. Cyrus L. Watson was present to aid Mr. Turner in the organization. At first they called the church Presbyterian. but October 10, 1833, they changed the name, by a unanimous vote, to Congregational.
Services were held for nearly a year in the log court-house and at the private residence of Rufus Brown, when the society secured a room twenty feet square, over the residence of Levi Wells, on the southwest corner of Maine and Fifth streets. It was soon found, however, that the room was not large enough and the society built a chapel on Fourth street, between Maine and Jersey, where Aldrich & Corbin's livery stable now stands, 22x26 feet in size, it being the first church of any kind built in the city. This build-
459
HISTORY OF ADAMS COUNTY.
ing was always known as "The Lord's Barn." It did not contain a single piece of upholstery. The seats and pulpit were of planed boards. The bell, earned and paid for by the needlework and enterprise of the women, was suspended in the rear of the church on two poles, and the bell-rope entered the house through a hole in the wall. The same bell now hangs in the tower of Trinity M. E. Church, corner Fifth and Jersey streets. The Rev. Mr. Turner remained pastor until 1838, two hundred and forty- four persons joining the church during his ministry. In 1841-42 the so- ciety erected the church on the corner of Fifth and Jersey streets, the Rev. Horatio Foote then being pastor. June 8, 1847, the society divided and a part of the church with the pastor built the edifice on the corner of Fourth and Jersey streets.
This was known as the Center Congregational Church, and was soon enl- larged and improved until it attained its present size. The Rev. Mr. Foote remained pastor until old age compelled him to retire from the active duties of the ministry. After several changes the Rev. S. R. Dimock, of Syracuse, N. Y., was called and remained the pastor until the union of the two churches, when he assumed the pastorate of the joint church.
At the time of the division the Rev. Rollin Mears became pastor of the First church, corner Fifth and Jersey streets, his labors continuing until 1852. After the close of his pastorate the First Church was without a regular minister for two years, the Rev. Samuel H. Emery being the next pastor. He remained with the church until March, 1869, when the two churches united, services then being held at the First Church.
The elegant building now occupied by this society, which is known as the First Union Congregational Church, was something over three years in construction. The excavation for the foundation was commenced on the 4th day of September, 1871 ; the foundation was completed and the brick- work commenced in the month of May, 1872, and the whole was under roof in December following.
January 19, 1873, the transept portion, containing the Sunday-school room and the parlors, was so far completed as to be occupied for church and Sunday-school purposes, the society having held its last meeting at the old church two weeks previous. The main part of the new church was occupied for the first time October 18, 1874, at which time the dedication services were held, the Rev. Thomas K. Beecher preaching the sermon.
The extreme length of the transept portion of the building inside is eighty-three feet, and the width thirty-nine feet. The height of the apex of the ceiling in the Sunday-school room is thirty feet. The room will seat about four hundred persons. The lower story is occupied by two large parlors, which may be thrown into one, by a large dressing and cloak room and by the pastor's study.
The extreme length of the main building inside is one hundred and four feet, the width sixty and a half feet, the height of side walls thirty-four feet and to apex of ceiling fifty feet. The extreme outside length of the whole, including main building and transept, is one hundred and fifty-eight feet, extreme width at the transept ninety feet and at the towers seventy- eight feet and four inches.
The height of the small tower above the sidewalk is eighty-eight feet, and of the main tower one hundred and twenty-six feet. The mullions and tracery of the large south window are all of solid stone, no wood enter-
460
HISTORY OF ADAMS COUNTY.
ing into any part of it, and in all its details it is a beautiful result of taste- ful design and skillful workmanship.
The combined width of all doors opening out from the main audience room is thirty-five feet ten inches, distributed at both ends of the room, allowing extraordinary freedom for egress in case of emergency. The building cost, with the lot on which it stands, $92,700.
The Rev. Mr. Dimock was succeeded by the Rev. Lysander Dickerman, January 21, 1872. The present pastor, the Rev. Edward Anderson, for- merly of Jamestown, N. Y., came to Quincy early in 1874. There are now about three hundred members. The Sunday-school has a membership of three hundred and fifty, Mr. E. K. Stone, Sr., being superintendent.
THE GERMAN EVANGELICAL ZION CHURCII.
The German Evangelical Zion Church, belonging to the Quincy associa- tion of Congregational churches, is on Ninth street, between Ohio and Payson avenue. It was organized February 26, 1858, and the next year the church occupied to the present day was built. It has sixty members. The Rev. Dr. Conrad is the pastor.
THE FIRST METHODIST CHURCHI.
The first society of the Methodist denomination was formed in June, 1835, by Benjamin Mun, services being held at the residence of Mr. Allen, on Maine, between Third and Fourth streets. The society was small, and services were conducted by the circuit rider, the Rev. Mr. Williams. In the fall of 1835, the Rev. Peter Boren, the first regular minister, com- menced his labors, and meetings were held in the log court-house. This building was destroyed by fire in November and services were then held in a small school-house, on Maine, between Third and Fourth streets. In the meantime efforts were made to raise funds to build a church and the ladies organized a society of which Mrs. Lane was president, and held the first church fair given in Quincy. Their efforts were successful and the funds thus raised, together with the money subscribed for the purpose, were sufficient to defray the necessary expenses of erecting a neat brick church fifty feet square, on Vermont street, between Fifth and Sixth. It was dedicated December 25, 1836. This building was occupied by the society until 1863, when the congregation had become so large that it was neces- sary to secure more commodious rooms. The building was therefore sold and the lot on the corner of Vermont and Eighth streets, where the present church is located, was purchased with a view to erecting a new church. In the meantime the society secured temporary accommodations in Kendall's hall, corner Maine and Sixth streets. This building was destroyed by fire in 1865 and the society bought the old Protestant Methodist Church, then located on Broadway near the corner of Sixth street, and moved it upon the lot which had been purchased two years previous. It was enlarged and improved and was occupied by the society until it was torn down to make room for the new church. Work on the new building was com- menced early in 1876, the foundations and basement being completed ready for occupancy last January. This room is still occupied by the society, it having been deemed advisable to suspend work upon the church for a short time. When the building is completed it will be 115x66 feet in size, with a frontage of eighty-five feet. It will be built entirely of stone and
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