Quincy Township (part 13 of 74)

On April 30th, two of the three commissioners came to the "town site," as Quincy was then called, prepared to locate the county seat. They came determined to place it at the geographical center of the county, and procured Willard Keyes, who was known to be a skillful land hunter, as guide.

Mr. Keyes, from some cause not fully explained, led them into the bogs and (|uagmires of Alill Creek, where they tloundered about for a whole day and at nightfall were obliged to return to the town site for shelter.

By the following morning the commissioners had changed their minds and forming a procession composed of three-fourths of the male population of the town site, proceeded to the spot now known as Washington Square, and halting near where the statue of Governor John Wood now stands, drove their stake into the ground and officially announced that the Northwest Quarter of Section 2, Town 2 South, Range 9 West, of the Fourth Principal Meridian, was the county seat of Adams county, and placing their hands upon the stake, named the place Quincy - seventy-eight years ago to-day.

At the time of the establishment of the county seat at Qxiincy, there were present, of the people composing the town, Willard Keyes, Jeremiah Rose and John DrouUard; John Wood, the other one-fourth of the population, being absent on a business trip to St. Louis.

During the spring of 1839, the towns of Columbus and Payson were incorporated and Columbus being situated near the geographical center of the county upon the so\;theastern borders of a large, fertile prairie, and numbering among its inhabitants many men of skill, ability and enterprise, promptly began an agitation for removal of the county seat from Quincy to that to-^vn. upon the ground that the location at Quincy, as made, was not for "the accommoda-

Abram Jonas, E. H. Buckley, Wesley D. Mc- Cann, Willard Gi'aves, (who was my uncle, and my father's business partner), and James A. Bell, ^vere among the active men of the time, residents of Coh^mbia, who took leading parts in the interests of the town, all of whom I afterward knew well, and most of whom many of joii know.

The "Columbus Advocate" was printed in Columbus at that time in aid of its contest. Abram Jonas was supposed to be the chief power liehind it. although another was the editor.

Against a combination of conditions and such a group of men as I have named, backed by almost the entire population of three-fourths of the area of the county, covering all lying east of Mill Creek, the good people of Quincy soon discerned that they were engaged in a contest that would require their most skillful and energetic efforts.

A district campaign was inaugitrated and many speeches were made by the representatives of both parties in every school house and other available meeting place in the county.

The election upon the question of removal of the cotmty seat was held on August 2, 1841, and Columbus triumphed, as shown by the following official certificate of two justices of the peace, one representing each contestant:

' ' Abstract of the poll books of an election held in the county of Adams and state of Illinois, on Ifonday, the 2nd day of August, in the year of our Lord, 1841. Columbus had 16,036 votes for county seat. Quincy had 1,545 votes for county seat. (Signed) Henrv Asburv. (Seal) W. D. McGann." (Seal)"

This, however, by no means settled the controversy: a cry of fraud in the vote was raised by the Quincy people. The matter was taken to the courts and ultimately into the legislature of the state, where it remained in one form or another for nearly six years; (see "History of Adams county," pages 285 to 295), during which time the Eastern portion of the county was separated from Adams county under the name of IMarqitet and, later on, the name was changed to Highland, of which in each case, Columbus was the county seat.

From the new county, E. H. Buckley was sent as representative to the state legislature, where he did valiant and efficient service in behalf of his constituents : while the Hon. Nehemiah Bushnell was the chief counsel of the new county in the courts.

The new county never became thoroughly organized under either name and in consequence of the unsettled conditions, the inhabitants for several years, between 1841 and 1847, escaped general taxation.

The "Camp Point Journal" of March 7, 1900, published a communication from my brother, Henry A. Castle, giving an account of two newspapers recently found that were printed in Columbus in 1842.

The same issue of the Camp Point Journal publishes a communication from the Hon. Thomas Bailey upon the "County Seat War" of 1841, wherein it is stated, that the fact that Quincy fenced Washington Park, which had been in common use as a camping ground for the people of the county for so many years, was a prime factor in favor of Columbits in the contest, and that 200 votes were lost by Quincy because of it. Also that two of the three county commissioners favored contesting the election, while the other, Col. George Smith, of Columbus, opposed it.

An appeal was taken to Judge Douglas of the circuit court, who decided that the act being a special act, and there no provision for contesting, it could not be done. It looked for a time as if Columbus might win.

I have asked Dr. J. F. Durant, who, at the time of the contest, was ten or twelve years of age, and living in Columbus, as to his recollection, and his reply is that he does not clearly remember the many incidents of the time. He says, ' ' I remember that Mr. Graves made all of us boys vote. ' '

In 1847 the contest terminated and the counties became reunited with Quincy as the county seat, to which place many of the leading participants of the controversy soon removed, to affiliate with their enemies.

The "Columbus Advocate" was removed to Xauvoo and became the "Nauvoo Expositor," where its first issue brought down upon it the wrath of Joseph Smith & Co., who condemned it as a nuisance and promptly proceeded to abate the same by dumping it into the Mississippi. For that act. Joe and Hiram Smith were arrested and lodged in the ,jail at Carthage, where shortly afterward, they ^yere shot and killed.

Regarding the editor of the Cohimbus Advocate. I remember as a boy, hearing my father tell an amusing story: The editor was rather impecunious at times, but was always fond of ardent drink.

as he possessed silver he would carry one empty bottle to the store, have it filled, pay for it, return to his office and proceed to consume it. When without silver he would fill one bottle with water, carry the two to the store, hand out the empty one to be filled, replace it in his pocket when filled, and then say to the Captain : "I have no small change today : please charge it. ' '

The editor liaviug stai-ted toward the door, would ivluetantly return, with an expression of much distress upon his countenance, handing the bottle of water to the Captain, who would pour the contents into the barrel through the bunghole and return the empty bottle to the editor, who would depart, apparently very much downcast.

This tontine jirocess was worked upon the barrel by the editor and the Captain for some months during the fall without discovery, but with the advent of severe winter weather a climax was reached, as what fli;id remained in the barrel froze solid.

The captain and many of his jiatrons were very wrathy, but upon deliberation concluded not to prosecute, inasiimch as the Ca]itain sutt'eivd no loss, as he had sold the water at the price of whisky, and the tontine process had inured to both the moral and physical advantao-e of many of the inhabitants.

Whether the editor remained with the ' ' Advocate " when it was removed to Nauvoo or not I am not sure, but many years afterward I found him installed in charge of the Quincy postoffice (not sixty years after, Mr. Wilcox) in the early sixties, as chief deputy or assistant postmaster, with the Hon. Abram Jonas as his chief.

Chapter Xlv

For a good many years the expenditures for buildings of various kinds have averaged well on to $150,000 a year, and there are many business structures and manj' notable private residences which have contributed to the architectural effects of the city, but specific mention must be limited to public or semi-public buildings. Concerning these, the years when erected and the cost, are as follows : The present courthouse, bounded by Fifth and Sixth streets and Broadway and Vermont, erected in 1876, cost .$260,000.

The federal building, at Eighth and Hampshire streets, was erected in 1887, the cost being $175,- 000. The building is absolutely fireproof. The present city hall, at Third and Hampshire streets, erected in' 1890, cost $39,000. The Hotel Newcomb, at Fourth and ]\laine streets (the site of the old Quincy House), erected in 1888, at a cost of $124,000. The Empire Theatre, on Eighth street, between ilaine and Hampshire streets, erected in 1893, cost $47,000. The C. B. & Q. passenger station, at Second and Oak streets, ])uilt in 1899, cost $100,000; the freight house, at Second and Broadway, cost $50,000. The Wabash railway passenger station at Sixth and York streets, erected in 1902, cost .$40,000: the freight house, $30,000. Turner Hall, 926 Hampshire street, erected in 1885 and cost $18,000. The German Y^oung Men's Christian Association building, at Eighth and State streets, was built ill 1S93 and cost .$32,000. The City Central ilarket building, at Ninth and Hampshire streets, built in 1897, cost $2,500. The city paid $18,000 for all of the market place ground. The establishment of the market place has been amply .justified by the usefulness and popularity of the convenience. The present cell house of the Quincy House of Correction, at Front and Jackson streets, was built in 1888 and cost $25,000.

Blessing Hospital

Blessing Hospital, at Tenth and Spring streets, grew out of the work of the Charitable Aid and H<ispital Association, which was founded in 1869 as a society for relief of the poor. True to its original intention, the hospital has always cared for a large number of free patients. In 1873 the association was incorporated, these being the names of the incorporators: John Wood, 0. H. Browning, F. S. Giddings, M. B. Finley, U. S. Penfield, H. S. Osborn, H. A. Williamson, Gustave Levi, E. K. Stone, R. W. Gardner, R. W. :\Ie.AIahan, William B. Bull. Mr. H. S. Osborn was elected president and Mr. E. J. Parker treasurer. The hospital was built at a cost of $12,000, including land and furnishings, and opened ilay, 1875. The site, valued at $3,000, was given by ]\Ir. ]\1. B. Denman. In 1895 it became necessary to enlarge the hospital, and a new three-story building was ei'ected, joining the original buildiiiS' on the west. The cost of the addition was iihout $14,500. Further enlargement became necessary in 1903, and a suitable home for the nurses had become an imperative necessity. To make i-oom for these buildings, and to make the improvements comprehensive and final, it was found desirable to purchase additional land on the east. It was also thought best to pull down the first two-story building, which no longer seemed adequate to its use, and to build upon the same foundations a modern three-story building complete in every resijeet, being fully equipped (as well as the nurses' home) with electricity, steam heat, a system of house telephones, electric elevator and the best plumbing. The steam laundry and steam heating plant were installed in a new brick building detached from the hospital and connected with it by a tunnel for the steam pipes. These buildings have been completed at a total cost of over .$30,000, making Blessing Hospital the most modern and be.st arranged hospital in the state outside of Chicago. The Training School for Nurses, established in 1891, is now iinder the efficient management of ]\liss Mary C. "Wheeler, who has also been superintendent of the hospital for the last six yeai-s. It is most successful, not only providing the best class of nurses for the hospital, but .supplying families of our own and neighboring cities, and in adjacent states. There are now fourteen nurses in the school, and the number is constantly increasing. The number of patients last year was between 600 and 700, of which a large proportion were charity cases. Blessing Hospital has a small endowment, not exceeding .$19,000, which was begun bv 'Sirs. Denman's bequest of $4,000 in March. 1883.

So many good women and men have devoted such time, thought and labor, as well as means toward the well doing of this institution as to make individual credit impracticable, but mention must be made of the leading and invaluable part taken in the good work by ^Mrs. Elizabeth G. Parker.

St. Marvs Hospital

Through the efforts of the late Rev. Father Ferdinand. O. S. F.. and the Rev. Father Schaefei'mej-er. a few sisters of the congregation of the Sisters of the Poor of St. Francis - whose Mother House is in Aehen, Germany, the home of the American province being at Hartwell, Ohio - under the direction of Sister Eusebia, came to Quincy, May 19, 1866, for the purpose of establishing a hospital in this city. After persistenl effort they finally .succeeded in receiving sufficient encouragement to begin the building of St. IMary's Hospital, ilarch 22, 1867. The cornerstone was laid the following da.y, in the presence of the mayor, the aldermen, the county officials and an immense coneour.se of citizens. This building, which cost about $16,000. and had accommodations for about fifty patients, was ready for occupancy October 25 of that year. The first patients were seven persons whom the Sistere had been caring for temporarily in a room of St. Boniface school building. Such was the demand on the hospital that within the next decade enlargement became imperative, and an addition costing about $20,000 was completed October 18, 1877, by which accommodations were provided for about one hundred patients. As the years passed and the population increased, and the excellent management of the hospital continued, further enlargement became necessary. In 1900 an addition was erected, at a cost of about $40,- 000. The new structure is four .stories, occupies a ground area of 86 by 68 feet, and in point of convenience, comfort, lighting, ventilation and general modern equipment and beauty of design and finish, is one of the very best hospitals in the west. The value of its buildings and ground is not less than $100,000. The entire building area is now about 212 feet long by 68 feet deep. The especial pride of the hospital is the wonderful new chapel, which is situated at the west end of the old building. The hospital can now accommodate 175 patients, and it contained 137 at the beginning of the present year, 1905. The fact that 1.326 patients were eared for during the year 1904 indicates the great extent of the noble work being done by the faithful twenty-two sisters, with the help of a few outsiders. Sister Raymunda, Superior, is in charge of the hospital. The institution has no endowment, being dependent sol el j- iipon the benevolence of those who a])preciate the good work done and which has won fame tliat is widespi-ead. No condition of creed, color, race or otherwise is requii'ed for a patient to get the benefit of the devoted service. So many of our people actively interest themselves in behalf of this worthy institution as to make individual mention impossible, but the practical zeal manifested for many years by Mr. Frederick AVolf has been so conspicuous as to properly require recognition.

In 1898 an auxiliary organization named St. ^Mary's Ambulance Societ.v was formed, as a result of whose good work the hospital has a first-class ambulance and excellent .service.

Woodland Home

On January 4, 1853, a number of ladies met at the First Congregational Church in Quincy and organized a .society called the '' Ladies' Union Benevolent Society." the object being to alleviate the present wants of the worthy poor in Quincy, and ultimately to ei-ect a building for destitute widows and orphans. This was the initiative of the charitj' known today as the Woodland Home for Orphans and Friendless. The board of managers was to consist of one member chosen from each church in the city that contributed to the caiise. Two years later fifteen gentlemen - Frederic Collins, Joel Rice, Samuel Holmes, 0. H. Bro-«Tiing, Newton Flagg, Charles A. Savage, William Caldwell, John Wheeler, Hiram Rodgers. Nathaniel Pease, John Blatchford, Elijah Gove, John W. McFadon. John Wood. Willard Keyes - contributed one hundred dollars each ($1,500) and five acres south of the city was purchased for a building site. On February 14, 1855, Woodland Home for Orphans and Friendless was incorporated by a special act of the legislature of the state of Illinois. The fifteen gentlemen named were appointed trustees for life, with the power of filling all vacancies, thereby making the board self-perpetuating. The board of trustees has each year appointed an executive committee of ladies, who have looked after the domestic affairs of the institution. The first executive committee consisted of Alesdames J. T. Holmes, first directress; F. Collins, second directress; C. H. (,'hurch, secretary; Littlefield, sub-treasurer, and the following as managers : Mesdames llolton. Rice, Rogers, Leibrie, Browning, Tillson, C. M. Wood, Baldwin, P. Smith, Hays, Jones, Dickhut, Dunn, Price, Gove. Nance, Pittman, Richardson, Keyes, M. Turner, Leasy, Kingman, Kreinhop, S. Hoffman, Ralston. A. Smith and Miss Smeading.

For a few years the children cared for by this charity were boarded in families. Then a house was rented on Tenth street, between j\laine and Jersey. In 1867 the property on the northwest corner of Fifth and Washington streets was purchased, .$13,500 being the price paid, and used for the home of this institution until ]\Iay 9, 1893, when the Woodland Home family moved into its present commodious quarters at Twentyseventh and ]\Iaine streets. The funds to pay for the land and also the building of the present home were mostly solicited from the citizens of Quincy. The land and buildings cost $17,000.

The institution has received from time to time gifts and bequests, so that now the income from the endowment fund is about one-third of the current expense accoi;nt, the balance being made up by voluntary donations and other ways and means devised by the ladies of the executive committee.

Since its organization approximately 2,125 individuals have been eared for by the Woodland Home. Homeless children are received and cared for till a suita,ble home in some worthy family is found for each child. Children of worthy working mothers are also received as boarders, and often fathers place their motherless ones to board in Woodland Home. The working force of the institution consists of five, viz., Miss M. E. Ellis, matron; a cook, housemaid, nurse and .janitor.

The present board of trustees is : 0. B. Gordon, president; W. A. Richardson, vice president; George Wells, treasurer; E. C. Wells, secretary; John Wlieeler, Nathaniel Pease, J. N. Sprigg, R. W. Gardner, C. H. Williamson. L. E.

The Old People'S Piome

Das Alteuheim, or the Old People's Home, at No. 418 Washington street, was founded May 15, 1890, by the St. Louis Conference of the German M. E. Church. The original building was donated by Mr. Charles Pfeiffer, of Quincy, 111. Three extensions have been made to the building. The present valuation is $25,000. There are thirty-one members in the home at this writing. The successive superintendents have been : Charles Pfeiffer, Mrs. Charles Pfeiffer, William F. Hagen and the Rev. William Balcke, the latter being the present incumbent.

Anna Brown Home For The Aged

Mrs. Anna E. Brown, widow of Charles Brown, was born in Connecticut, in 1830, and died in Quincy October 22, 1893. Mrs. Brown provided in her will for the establishment of a home for the aged, to which she devised her residence, at the northwest corner of Fifth and ilaple streets, and which home she endowed with interest-bearing securities worth $55,000. Thus was foiinded what was named the Anna Brown Home for the Aged, in arranging for which the management spent about $18,000 for a new building and other improvements in 1897. The home was opened in January, 1898. Acceptable applicants only are admitted, and there is an admission fee of $300. The management has been such that the institution is in excellent condition every way. Hon. W. H. Collins is president, Osman B. Gordon, vice president; T. C. Poling, treasurer, and George H. Wilson, secretary, of the corporation. Miss Elizabeth Carelton is matron. At this writing there are twelve women and four men in the home.

St. Vincent'S Hojie

St. Vincent's Home, at 1340 North Tenth street, was foimded in 1884, by the Sisters' Poor Handmaids of .lesus Christ, of Fort Wayne, Ind. Four blocks of ground were bought in Cox's ad-

(.Utiou for .$7,U(A). The first buildiug addition to the old Cox house was dedicated September 8, 1885, the cost of the addition being $10,000. The sisters opened the home April 4, 1885, with three inmates. There are now ninety inmates. The present building, which cost about $-45,000, was dedicated Xovember 14, 1897. Sister Superior. Venerable Sister ^laria Romana is manager of the home.

St. Aloysius Orphan Society

St. Aloysius Orphan Society, whose asylum is located at Twentieth and Vine streets, was founded in 1852 by Joseph Kuenster, at the suggestion of ilission Father, the Rev. F. W. Wenninger. The suggestion grew out of effects of the cholera epidemic. The present building was dedicated April 18, 1865. It contains about thirty children at this time. Chris "Wand is president of the society and the Rev. Dean ]\Iiehael Weis. pastor of St. Boniface Catholic Church, is president of the board of trustees.

The Cheerful Home Association was founded in 1887 by the late Miss Cornelia A. Collins, a j'oung woman whose noble character was illumined by a rarel.y beautiful spirit of unselfishness. The primary object of the movement was to provide a pleasant evening resort for a class of boys who might otherwise be on the streets. While this ob.ject has been never lost sight of, the scope of the Cheerful Plome work has been greatly extended and with increasing value to boys and girls, to whom regular class instructions in domestic science, sewing, manual training, kindergarten, etc., are given daily. The first meeting place of the association was at No. 215 North Fourth street. In the spring of 1901 ]\Ir. Lorenzo Bull bought the Wells residence jirojiert.y. No. 241 Jerse.v street, and donated the same to the Cheerful Home Association, whose occupation of the well adapted building marked a new and wider era in the life of the home. IMr. Bull had secured the property for $5,000 for the purpose. In the spring of 1903 ]\Ir. Bull added and equipped a fine g^niniasium, at a cost of about $6,000, thus still further enhancing the wholesome attractiveness and usefulness of the institution. The Cheerful Home now benefits between 400 and 500 boys and girls, and at this writing plans are being made for still further enlargement of the good work. So many good people have given of their best thought, time and labor in the furtherance of the welfare of this worthy institution that individual mention is not practicable, but it is certain that only for ^Ir. Bull 's benefactions the home could not have thus enlarged its scope of usefulness, while the services of Miss !Mar>- Bull, the president of the board of lady managers, has been so invaluable as to call for exceptional recognition. ]\Iiss Mary L. Adams, the present efficient chief resident worker at the home, has occupied that position for about two years.

German Young Men'S Christian Association

The Young Men's Christian Association was organized in 1893. Its biiilding, located at Eighth and State streets, cost $32,000. The jiresent iiiciiibership of the association is in the npiuliliiirli'iid of 250. W. T. Dwire is president of the association, H. C. Sprick, secretary and acting treasurer. The present directors are Herman Ileidbreder, A. J. Niemeyer, Dr. Henrj- C. ^Mueller, J. F. Pieper, J. "SI. Brown, Henry E, Sehmiedeskamp and Walter H. Bennett.

Through the efforts of iliss Harriet Broad, state secretary of the Young Women's Christian Association, a local association was organized in Quincy, at the Vermont Street M. E. Church Friday evening, Febi'uary 10, 1905, the charter member.ship being 433. The first officers are 5Irs. Nelson Funk, president : Mi.ss Ida Stewart, vice president ; ]\Irs. Charles A. O.sborn, secretary, and Mrs. Ella S. Lewis, treasurer.

The Quincy Humane Society

This society was incorporated under the name of " Quincv Society for the Prevention of Craelty to Animals,'"' July 20, 1880. July 22, 1880, the first officers were elected, T. ]\I. Rogers being president : J. R. Stewart, secretary ; Henry Root, ti'easurer, and Dr. H. W. Hale, superintendent. June 20, 1882, the name of the society was changed to " The Quincy H;unane Society." October 28, 1893, Anna E. Bro^vn died, leaving a will in which she had bequeathed to the society a large amount, amounting to between $14,000 and $15,000. Some two years later the society came into possession of this fund, the income from which has enabled the society to greatly enlarge and do more efficient work. The present officers of the society are Henry P. Walton, president : J. W. ]\Iarkus. firet vice president : Henry Meisser. second vice president; Dr. R. Woods, tz-easurer: Ljinan McCarl. secretaiy. and John Fowley, humane officer. I\Ir. Walton is serving his eleventh year as president of the society, in the furtherance of whose useful and commendable work this venerable citizen has manifested the same public spirited activity that has characterized his course in so many other directions.

The Historical Society

Chiefly through the efforts of the late Rev. Samuel H. Emery, the Historical Society of Quincy, Illinois, was organized Tuesday evening, October 6, 1896, at a meeting held for that purpose in the present rooms of the Chamber of Commerce, on the west side of Washington Park. The society was incorporated the same year. " The object of the society is to gather up all that relates to tlie history of Quincy and vicinity, and to provide a safe place to deposit for all pictures, books, portraits, manuscripts, relics and dociunents of every sort which illustrate this history. ' ' The archives are kept in the tower room of the public library building, where donations are placed as received. Among the prominent events in the life of the society was its celebration of the seventy-eighth anniversary of the founding of Quincy and Adams County. The event took place on the evening of May 1,

1903, in the parlors of the Presbyterian Church. Mr. Lorenzo Bull delivered the principal address. The present year, 1905, the society, by a committee consisting of Dr. J. B. Shawgo, Dr. Joseph Roljbins and Mr. George 1\I. Janes, erected a tablet in Washington Park commemorative of the place of the debate between Lincoln and Douglas, October 13, 1858. In deciding on the location, the committee was guided mainly by an opinion from Mr. Lorenzo Bull, in reply to a recj[uest from a previous eonunittee for his recollection. Mr. Bull, who was then temporarily in Camden, Maine, wrote to the committee July 26,

1904, as follows: " In reply to yours of the 18th instant, asking for my recollection as to the location of the grand stand occupied by the .speakers of the Lincoln-Douglas debate, October 13, 1858, I have to sa.y as follows : If Washington Pai'k were divided into four equal square parts, the location of the speakers' stand upon that occasion could ])e certainly and definitely given as within the southeast quarter of such division. Any attempt at this late date to fix a more precise location by feet and inches must be attended by more or less uncertainty ; but as an approximation I should say that a point about one hundred feet west from Fifth street and about forty or fifty feet north from Maine street, would be very nearly correct. The stand faced tlie east and I listened to the speakers, standing on the south side at a point neai-ly in front of the present bank building of the State Savings Loan and Trust Company."

^Ir. Bull has been president of the Historical Society since its organization and by unanimous choice. The late Timothy M. Rogers was the first recording secretary. The next secretary was the Hon. W. A. Richardson, who was succeeded by Miss Louise Maertz, wlm is now in Cuba, and who was temporarily succeeded as secretary l)y Henry Bornmaini. iliss Louisa 'SI. Robbins has been i-ecently selected as permanent secretary. The late Gen. E. B. Hamilton was the first vice j)resident at the time of his death. He was succeeded by Cicero F. Perry. The late James Woodruff' was second vice president at the time of liis death. Sanniel H. Emery, Jr., is the cor- I'esponding secretary; George ^1. Janes, treasurer; Hon. William H. Collins, historiographer; Col. Chauncey II. Castle, auditor, and .Mrs. Constance E. Ellis, librarian.

The Lindsay Church Iio.Me

The late 'Sirs. Elizabeth Lindsay, by her will, dated Nov. 4, 1863, left all of her property to Dr. Edward G. Castle, Seth C. Sherman and Peter Grant, in trust, for the purpose of founding and supporting in the city of Quincy, what was to be styled The Lindsay Church Home, the same tt) be exclusively held and used for the benefit of poor persons belonging to the Protestant Ei>iscopal Church of Quincy. The value of tlie real estate bequeathed was about !f;15,000, and the rest of the property was valued at about In accordance with the will of Mrs. Lindsay, the Home M'as established in the residence of the founder, namely, on the southeast corner of Fovirth and Vermont streets. The institution was incorporated Nov. 6. 1874, the incorporators being Edward G. Ca.stle, Peter Grant, Seth C. Shernian. Henry Asbury, Henry A. Williamson and Edward J. Parker. The matron of the institution is Mrs. M. E. Powell. While its means have been limited, the Home has served its purpose well.

Fraternal And Benevole.Xt Societies

Fraternal and benevolent societies have found a congenial atmosphere in Quincy in which they have thriven apace, the city being extensively represented in that direction. A history of these various sdcicties would take so nmch time and s|)Mcc iis to i-i'iider it impracticable in this work.

The i»i'esent various clivisions of the Masonic order are as follows: Bodley Lodge No. 1, Herman Lodge No. 39, Quincy Lodge No. 296, Lambert Lodge No. 695, Quincy Chapter No. 5 R. A. JI., and Quincy Council No. 15 R. & S. M. There are two Commanderies, the Beauseant Commandery No. 11 K. T. and the El A.ska Commandery No. 55 K. T. The consistories are four in number and are, the Quincy Lodge of Perfection 14 Deg., Quincy Council of Princes of Jerusalem 16 Deg.. Quincy Chapter of Rose Croix 18 Deg. R. D. M., and the Quincy Consistory 32 Deg. S. P. R. S. There are also three orders of the Eastern Star, the Alpha Chapter No. 109, 0. E. S.,

There are eight lodges of the Ancient Order of United Workmen, consisting of the following : Fern Lodge No. 25, Degree of Honor, Gem City Lodge No. 10, Germania Lodge No. 37 Degree of Honor, Humboldt Lodge No. 61, Joint Team, Park Lodge No. 56, Pride of the West Lodge No. 94, and Quiney Lodge No. 45.

The Grand Army of the Republic have six societies, Jolm Wood Post No. 96, Col. Charles H. IMorton Post No. 707, Col. L. W. Shepherd Post No. 628, Woman's Relief Corps No. 47 (Aiixiliary to John Wood Post), Woman's Relief Corps No. 170 (Auxiliary to Col. Chas. H. Morton Post), and Col. W. W. Berry Ladies' Circle No. 30.

In the Independent Order of Odd Fellows there are eight divisions. Golden Rule Lodge No. 27, Daughters of Rebakah, Quiney Lodge No. 12, Adams Lodge No. 365, Allen Encampment No. 4, Gem City Lodge No. 357, Irma Lodge No. 208 Daughters of Rebekah, Marquette Lodge No. 36, and Teutonia Lodge No. 226 (German) Daughters of Rebekah.

The Knights of Pythias have five societies, the Amity Lodge No. 552, Endowment Rank Section No. 42. Evergreen Temple No. 1 (Rathbone Sisters), Preux Chevalier Lodge No. 18, and the Red Cross Lodge No. 44.

El Capitau Degree Staff of Gem City Camp No. 219, Gem_City Camp No. 219. North Star Camp No. 44 r 4, Oak Camp No. 543, and the Queen of the West Camp No. 51 (Royal Neighbors), make up the ^Modern Woodmen of America.

of Hibernians (Division No. 1 of Adams County), Quiney Lodge No. 100 of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Quiney Aerie No. 535 of the Fraternal Order of Eagles, Craft Lodge No. 98 of the Fraternal Reserve Life Association, South Quiney Lodge No. 558 of the Harugari, ^^linnewawa Tribe No. 160 of the Improved Order of Red ilen, Quiney Council No. 538 of the Knights of Columbus, Quiney Lodge No. 222 of the ]Mystic Workei-s of the World, Quiney Council No. 175 of the National Union, Quiney Council No. 75 of the North American I^nion, Quiney Council No. 195 of the Royal Arcanum, Quiney Legion No. 9 Select Knights of America, Caesar Tribunal No. 72 of the Fraternal Tribunes, Quiney Chapter No. 7 of the Washington League, Quiney Court No. 20 of the Triije of Ben Ilur, and the Quiney Council No. 93 of the United Connnercial Travelers.

The colored population of Quiney are organized into the following secret societies : Athenian Chapter No. 11 R. A. M., Crystal Chapter No. 8 E. S., Red Cross Comnumdery No. 11 K. T., LTnity Lodge No. 16 of the ^lasonic Oi'der, Grand United Order of Odd Fellows composed of the two branches of the Household of Ruth No. 213, and the Star of the Morning Lodge No. 1818, the Knights of Tabor composed of the Golden Wing Temple No. 3, Maids and Pages Tent No. 2. and the Princess of Quiney Tabernacle No. 15, the Sisters of the :\Iy.sterious Ten divided into Queen of Sheha Temple No. 20, and Star of Bethlehem Temple No. 4, Union Veterans' Union, consisting of John Smothers' Regiment No. 38, and John Smothers' Union No. 12 (ladies). United Brethren of Friendship consisting of Charles Sumner Camp No. 5, and William Shepherd Lodge No. 6.

Chapter Xlvi

]\Iay 1, 1825, eighty years ago to the veiy day on which this chapter is written - ilay 1, 1905 - Quiney was born. Not even a volume would suffice to trace the growth of the individual enterprises and industries in this city during those eighty years. Some of these industries are of such importance that their individual development, their magnitude, their importance, would make a most fascinating history, but this is not practicable here. The best that can be done in this connection is to give a list of Quincy's enterprises at this time, showing by the character and extent of the various kinds

Bank and Bankers : The Cassidy Commission Co. Clearing House Assn. The Quincy National Bank. ^The Rieker National Bank. ' State Savings, Loan & Trust Co. State Street Bank.

Biisiness Colleges : Armor Business Institute. Gem City Business College. National Business College and School of Correspondence. St. Francis Solanus College. St. Mary's Institute.

Fruits, Vegetables and Produce : Ehreus & Ohlschlager. William Eber & Son. Evers Produce Co. David Long. Quiney Fruit and Produce Co. The Williamson Produce Co.

Hides. Pelts, Tallow. Wool and Furs: J. S. Geiger & Co. M. Hirsch. Martin Schrieber. The Selby Poultry Co. Silberman & Wise Co. H. Swimmer & Sons.

Livery, Feed, Sale and Boai-ding Stables: Ernest Cook. Fred E. Harnest. Joseph J. Lusk. Daniel A. McKenzie. McKenzie's Livery and Sales Stable, iletropolitan Liverv. Occidental Hotel Stables. Palace Stables. Le.slie G. Pottle. Quincy Transfer Co. S. Douglas Simpson. Arthur E. Sweet. The Newconib Livery.

Plumbers, Gas and Steam Fitters: The E. Best Plumbing and Steam Heating Co. George E. DeCrow. The Gardner Plumbing and Heating Co. William Lubbert & Co. Sullivan Bros.

Real Estate Agents and Dealers : A. Binkert & Son. Thonms J. Clark. Cruttenden & Bauman. Cruttenden & Ileekenkamp. Philip L. Dickhut. Dines & Orr. Gooeh Bros. & Ragland. Charles A. Hamilton. Joseph II. Hanly. Anton A. Ileim. Samuel jM. Hughes. Lawson & Grinun. ]\IcKinnay & Potter. James L. Mays. Thomas L. iMorris. National Investment Co. Osborn & Henry. Jacob C. Pipino. Levi A. Pool. S. E. Seeiiorn & Co. George R. Stewart & Co. The Federal Co. B. G. Vasen. Thad W. Ward.

Tinners and Sheet Iron Workers : Berghofer & Ohnemus. Fred T. Brosi Co. George C. Schaller. A. W. Scheipering & Bro. Schulliau Bros. Georse Schwendeman. William IT. Thoele. William C. Wilson. C. H. Wurst Co.

Wagon Makers: George W. Bohne. Jansen & Triebel. The Henry Knapheide Wagon Co. Koenig & Luhrs Wagon Co. Henry C. Otten. Henry W. Rupp & Co. Sturhahn & Meyer. The Weuzel Wagon Co. A. L. Zimmerman & Co.

Chapter Xlvii

Quincy's first visit i'lMiii i-liolera was in July, 1833. There were two or three deaths from the disease on July 4. One authority fixes that date as the beginning of the disease. Another authority holds that it developed some days earlier. The exact number of deaths from cholera is not on record, but out of a population of about 400 forty-three deaths occurred from July 4 to July 7. The next visit from the cholera was March 17, 1849, resulting, it is estimated, in about 400 deaths, including that of Ma,yor Enoch Conyers. As late as 1851 deaths occurred from cholera.

A public reception was given to Lieut. Harry H. Caldwell, at the Hotel Newcomb, November 23. 1899. The young naval officer was presented with a silver loving cup.

The first horse railroad was opened in Quiney in 1867. fi-om the old post office on Maine street to the northern limits of the city, via Fifth street.

On the afternoon of September 24, 1881, a tornado passed through Quiney and killed four men and damaged property to the amount of about $100,000. The men killed were Lon Wilson, George Roland, Henry Workhouse and Frank Smith. The greatest damage was done to the Comstoek Castle stove foundiy, the Bonnet & Duffy foundry and the Harris tobacco factory, but many buildings throughout the city suft'ered.

Just after nightfall October 12, 1902, a cyclone swept through the southern and eastern parts of Quiney and visited Camp Point and Columbus. Ten persons were injured, but none fatally. The damage in Quiney and vicinity was estimated at $45,000. A dozen houses were practically demolished and some two score barns and other buildings more or less injured. Great damage was done to valuable trees and monuments in Greenmount Cemetery.

Deplorable Accidents

The worst accident in loss of human life in the history of Quiney occurred at St. Francis school hall, at Seventeenth and Vine streets, on Friday evening, December 22, 1899. The school children were rehearsing for the Christmas entertaininctit. ^lany of the little oni>s I'eiM-esentiug lambs were dressed in cotton batting. One little girl got too near an open gas jet and her clothing caught fire. The child instinctively ran among the other children, to whom the flames spread rapidly. The attending sisters and others worked heroically and saved many lives, but the following twelve little girls were burned so badly as to cause death : Irene Freiburg, Josephine Bohne, Bernadena Freund, ]\Iarv Hickey, Wilhelmina Kottendorf, Coletta ^Middendorf, Olivia Timpe, Mary Wavering, Mary Althoff, Margaret Werner, Mai-ia Flutterer, Celia Vonder Haar. Among those more or less burned, but not fatally, were Sisters Theotaraa, Ludwiga and Jlphren, Father Butzkueben, Prof. Musholt, Janitor Gerhard Koetters and little Laura Menke and Elnora Timpe. The twelve children were buried in the same lot in St. Boniface Cemetery the Sunday following, the attendance being estimated at

Wednesday, October 10, 1888, during fireworks at the fall celebration, " The Bombardment of Alexandria," on Twentieth street, between Vermont and Broadway, the grand stand gave way and about 400 people were injured.

Some Notable Fires

September 19, 1875, occurred the fire on the west side of Third street, between Hampshire and Vermont, resulting in the burning of the lumber yard of D. D. Sleriam & Son. The loss was $25,000. A niolder named Butler was burned to death.

The Presbyterian Church, at Eighth and Broadway, was burned January 2, 1879, the loss being $38,000. The temperature was 19 degrees below zero.

September 6, 1879, was the date on which the Quincy Academy of Music was burned, on the north side of ]\Iaine street, between Third and Fourth. The loss was $60,000. A man named Laakey was killed by the falling of a telegraph pole.

February 21. 1904, occurred the fire in Wliolesale Row, on the west side of Third street, between Hampshire and Vermont, the loss being $180,000.

The fire at the Tenk Hardware Co. store and the ^lorris clothing store, on the south side of ;\Iaine street, between Fifth and Sixth, occurred April 30, 1896 : loss, $60,000.

June 22, 1904, was the date of the fire at the Tremont House, on the north side of Hampshire street, between Fifth and Sixth. Miss Elizabeth Welch, principal of Jefferson public school, was burned to death, and her sister. Miss Mary Welch, jirincipal of Jackson school, was so badly burned that she died in a day or so. Among others more or less injured were W. E, Tooke, W. L. Kershaw (both of whom were connected with the S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., the publishers of this work), I\Irs. Thomas Clow, Mrs. W. R. Scott and Thomas ^Martin. The property loss was $25,000.

IMay 6, 1870, occurred the fire at Fourth and Maine streets which destroyed the Quincy Herald office and other buildings, the loss being estimated at $200,000.

During a fire at the Newcomb Hotel, March 26, 1904, IMiss Rose ^McDowell, a domestic, was suffocated in her room, and iMiss Annette Bromiski was killed by leaping from the third story.

The Lincolx-Douglas Meeting

Herewith are given some interesting notes, prepared by the Hon. W. A. Richardson, a son of the late' United States Senator Richardson, and published in the Quincy Optic, August 6-13, 1904, concerning the Lincoln-Douglas debate, in Washington Park, Quincy, October 13, 1858. The notes were compiled by I\Ir. Richardson from local press reports of the great nu^eting, and are as follows :

The committee of arrangements for the reception of Hon. A. Lincoln on the 13th of October are requested to meet without fail on Tuesday evening, the 5th inst., at the office of Jonas & Asburv.

The aids and assistant marshals will appear (in horseback, with blue scarfs and Lincoln Ijadges, and will assemble at the Quiney House lirecisely at 81/0 o'clock a. ni.

On Wednesday, the 13th inst., at 9 a. m., precisely, the republican procession will be formed for the purpose of proceeding to the railroad depot to receive the Hon. A. Lincoln.

The line of procession will be formed on Broadway, the right resting on Sixth street. The republican clubs and citizens on foot will a&semble and form in order in Jefferson square, and form the head of the procession. Clubs and citizens in carriages and wagons will form innnediately in the rear of those on foot.

Route of the procession : The procession on foot will advance to Front street, the carriages, wagons and citizens on horseback will remain and rest on Third street. The carriage for Mr. Lincoln and strangers will receive them at the depot, and the delegations and others arriving by the trains will be formed on foot under the assistant marshals. The foot procession and carriages with Mr. Lincoln and strangers will then countermarch up Broadway, and the entire ]irocession will proceed down Thii-d to Jersey street, up Jersey to Eighth, up Eighth to Hampshire, down Hampshire to Fourth, down Fourth to ]Maine, up Elaine to Fifth, up Fifth to the front of the courthouse, where ^Ir. Lincoln will be received and welcomed by the committee on reception. The procession will then be dismissed, and Mr. Lincoln taken by the committee of reception to the residence of 0. H. Browning. Esq. Speaking will commence at the stand in Washington square at 2 o'clock p. m.

]\Iessrs. Bond and Holton have been appointed by the respective committees of the republican Douglas parties to attend to the erection of a stand and seats for tomorrow. 'Mr. Pinkham has verv kindlv and generously furnished the seats

On Wednesday morning, 13th inst., at 9^2 o'clock, a procession will be formed at the courthouse, in this city, in which every person who prefers the election of lion. S. A. Douglas to Hon. A. Lincoln to the United States Senate is invited to participate.

The procession will leave the courthouse at 914 o'clock, precisely, and will pi'oceed to Broadway, up Broadway to Twelfth street, throwing the right of procession on Twelfth and front south, where the delegations from the northern part of the county will be attached; thence to Maine, throwing right of procession on Maine, and attach all the delegations from the east and south of the county; thence proceeding down Maine street to Third, up Third to the Virginia House, where the river delegations will be attached, and will then take the right of the procession ; which will then proceed to Vermont, up Vermont to Seventh, down Seventh to Hampshire, down Hampshire to Fourth, and around the public square to the southeast corner, where the procession will enter and surround the stand, whereupon Judge Douglas will make his appearance and in a few remarks ad.iourn the crowd until half past 2 o'clock, when the discussion between himself and Mr. Lincoln will commence. I. T. Wilson, Chief Mar.shal.

The most magnificent display that has ever been made in this city was made by the democracy on Tuesday last on the occasion of the reception of Judge Douglas. Our distinguished senator was received at half past 9 o'clock at the railroad depot amid the booming of cannon and a most splendid display of torchlights and transparencies, accompanied by the welcoming, enthusiastic shouts of not less than a thousand live democrats. * * * Pour hundred blazing torches and beautiful transparencies in proportion, with bands of music and a procession more than half a mile in length. * * * The streets of the city. literally thronged with people in honor of the great statesman, was a sight that did the heai'ts of the democracy good to witness. * * * Judge Douglas was escorted by the procession to the Quincy Plouse, where, with three times three hearty and enthusiastic cheers, the democracy left him for the night, repairing, however, to the public square, where they were addressed in a most able, enthusiastic and unanswerable manner by Dr. Bane, after which the demonstrations i)f the evening were brought to a close.

The democracy of Illinois have reason to be proud of the demonstration in the city on Wednesday last, the day that had been appointed for a .ioint discussion between Senator Douglas and ilr. Lincoln. At an early hour in the morning the crowds that everywhere thronged the streets of our city gave indication that a great (lay was before us. * * * At about 10 o'clock a procession of the democracy, composed exclusively of delegations from the county townships, under the direction of Dr. Wilson, the chief marshal, made its appearance upcm the public square. This procession was over an hour |)assing the Quincy House: and it is thought to have not been less than two miles in lenoth. * * * As the procession passed the Quincy House Judge Douglas made his appearance at a second story window, where he was greeted with cheer after cheer along the whole line. The procession was afterwards joined by large delegations from Brown county and from various ])oints in I\Iis.souri. It was the largest procession that was ever seen in Quincy. At 12 o'clock the procession was disbanded. * * * At 2 o'clock some twelve or fifteen thousand persons assembled around the stand upon the public square, where they were addressed foi- an hour by IMr. Lincoln, who was followed in a speech of an hour and a half by Judge Douglas, and the debati' closed with a response of half an hour by Lincoln. * * * The democracy a.ssembled again in the evening around the stand in the public square, no himse in the city being large enough to contain the fourth of them, where they were addressed b>' 'Sir. Artzen of this city and ^Fr. Reed of Keokuk. Thus began, and thus ended the day - the most gloriou.s to the demoei-aey that Quincy ever .saw.

Wednesday was a day that will long be remembered by the citizens of Quincy and by the iii'eat ci'owd of peojjle who were in attendance to listen to the great discussion between Lincoln and Douglas. They came from all quarters, from all parts of the district, and from Iowa and ilLssoTiri.

Douglas arrived on Tuesday night, and the Douilasites got up a kind of toi-chlight procession to receive him. The thing was a most miserable fizzle.

On Wedaesda.y morning at an early hour our streets were thronged with people. The republican procession formed on Bi'oadway for the purpose of receiving 'Sir. Lincoln. It was one of tlie finest demonstrations that ever occurred in this city. It is impossible to arrive at anything like a reliable estimate of the niunbers in the procession.

Mr. Lincoln whs rei'i'iv(.'d at the depot aud greeted with enthusiastic cheers by the crowd. The procession then proceeded through tlie principal streets of the city to the residence of lion. 0. H. Browning, where a beautiful and elegant boquet was presented by the republican ladies of Quincy, through the hands of John Tillson, Esq., our candidate for senator, in a neat and ajipropriate speech, which elicited iiiucli applause. Mr. Lincoln replied in a few brief reinai'ks, saying that it was a source of much gi-atitication to him to find that the ladies everywhere took such a deep interest in this contest. Before and at the close of the presentation a choir of young ladies and gentlemen i)resent sang, to the air of " Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean," a very appropriate campaign song. The procession was then disbanded for dinnei'.

Long before the speaking eonnnenced the public square literally swarmed with people. The number present is variously estimated at from eight to fourteen thousand. Jlr. Lincoln opened the deliate. » * *

The only incident of a disagreeable character was the falling of the seats which had been put up for the ladies. They were crowded at the time and the fall created great consternation. Two or three ladies were injured, but no one seriouslj' or severely.

On Wednesday night the courthouse was literally jannned with peojile. Speeches were made by Karl Schui-tz, Jack.son (Irimshaw and B. J\L Prentiss.

Woodland Cemetery

Woodland Cemetery is located in the southwest portion of the city, and is bounded by Jefferson street on the north, Van Buren on the south. Fifth street on the east and the river bank on the west.

Woodland Cemetery is, beyond question, one of the most beautiful cemeteries in the country. Its situation (m the blufif is sudi that from it is secured one of the finest and most extended views to be found on the ^lississippi river.

It was laid out in Ai)ril, 18-16. It originally contained somewhat less than forty acres. In 1857 4.65 acres were added, and now the cemetery is estimated to contain about forty -three acres. The grounds were once part of the estate of Gov. John Wood, the founder of Quincy, who presented them to the city. Fronting on Fifth street is the tomb of the late Timothy Rogers, which is said to be one of the finest in the country. The National Cemetery formerly occu)iied the northwest portion of the grounds, but some four \'ears ago the government removed it to Gracehmd. A great many soldiers are buried here, however, in private lots. A handsome monmuent dedicated to United States soldiers is situated in the western part of the cemetery.

Woodland Cemetery is one of the most beautiful in the middle west. It is managed through the Woodland Cemetery Association, of which Mr. II. P. Walton is president; Mr. George F. i\liller, vice president ; ^Irs. Mary Cober, secretary, and I\lr. Iv J, I'nrker. treasurer. Messrs. George Wells and T. 1). Woodruff are also directors of the a.ssociation. Adam Thron has been the efficient superintendent for many years.

Greenmount Cemetery

This cemetery was laid oiit in 1875 by the (ireenmount Cemetery Association. The board of dii-ectors of this association consists of fourteen members, of which Mr. Joseph Hoeuer is the present president and ^Ir. Henry G. Garrelts is the secretary. Mr. Walter Dingerson is the efficient caretaker of the cemetery. Greenmount is on South Twelfth street, across the street from South Park aiul just north of Harrison street. It is one of the most beautiful and atti-active cemeteries in the city.

Graceland Cemetery

The president of this association is L. E. Emmons; vice president, Anton Binkert; treasurer, T. C. Poling: secretary, William F. Ilagen; other members of the board of trustees are D. F. Wilcox, E. Best, J. T. Blaiuev. Joseph Freiberg. Sr., Thomas T. Dyke.

The Hebrew Cemetery

The Hebrew Cemetery, called the " Valley of Peace," is located in the northeastern part of the city, near what is now known as Walton Heights. The board of directors are : Messrs. David Vasen, ]\r. Kingsbaker, ]M. Joseph and David Stern.

The Roman Catholic Cejieteries

The St. Peter's Cemetery is located east of Thirtieth street, on Broadway. It is under the management of the congregation of St. Peter's Clnirch. St. Rose Church people also bury at St. Peter's, while all other Catholic societies bury at St. Boniface, which is under the direct control of St. Boniface Clmrch and is located on State street, east of Twentieth.

111 the d;nvii < f its history Adams county is seen, in common with other portions of Illinois, thinly populated by tribes of savages. The first Europeans to visit this wilderness were the envoys of religion and commerce. More than two luindred and thirty years ago Father ]Marqnetce and Louis Joliet. the latter a Quebec-born tur trader, crossed Wisconsin by the Fox and Wisconsin rivers and descended the majestic ilississippi, passing along the borders of Adams country and it is quite probable they made a brief halt at or near where the beautiful Gem City now stands. In corroboration of this, Marquette mentions in his journal of that voj^age the bluffs upon the eastern bank of the river, witli a rude sketch of the same.

From that time until 1811 the history of the country which now comprises Adams county is not recorded. There is a slight rumor to the effect that one Bauvet, a French trader, located on the bluffs of Quincy, but was soon afterwards killed by the Indians. A legend comes down from the same shadowy source that there was an Indian village on the bluffs near Quincy, and that Indians made frequent camps south of this point. Evidences .still remain, however, of a permanent occupation by members of the Sauk tribe near the banks of Bear creek. In 1813 Gen. Howard, with two regimentsof mounted rangers from Illinois and Missouri, on an expedition to the north part of the territory, passed this point and found the remnants of some rough stone chimneys and a few wigwam poles along the shore near the bluffs. The legendary stories of the existence of this savage village of the Sauk tribe, which flourished here in the olden time, relate that its uncivilized inhabitants, on hearing of the approach of Gen. Howard and his two regiments of mounted rangers, fled from their homes and left the village to the tender mercies of tlie palefaces. Gen. Howard's rangers, upon their arrival at the place, burned the village and passed on.

Willard Keyes, one of the pioneers of Adams coimt.y, says in his lecture before the New England Society: " We floated past the model city (Quincy) on the 10th of ilay, 1819, unconscious of our future destiny in its eventful history. ' '

Justus I. Perigo, who resided on what is now the eastern portion of Fall Creek township, was doubtless the first actual settler in Adams county, as he was here in 1820. The coming of Asa Tyrer, in the summer of 1820, searching for his hind, and also of John Wood in 1821, who came to find land for a man named Flynn, and his sub- .sequent settlement, with his partner, Willard Keyes, are fully described in the history of Quincy. The immigration to the county in the next few years following was not very rapid, most of those who came settling in the Bear creek and Rock creek sections, and some few in and near Quincy. J^ore thaa one-half the land comprising the military tract was land granted to the soldiers of 1812, and was not subject to entry, and as none could be purchased except what was ivuown as the bounty lands the settlement was much retarded on fliat account.

As part of the Northwest Territory, in 1790 all of Illinois south of what is now Peoria was made the countv of St. Clair, with Cahokia as the county seat. In 1812 the northern portion of St. Clair, above St. Louis, was created Madi.son county, with Edwardsville as the county seat, the county extending to the Wiscou.sin line. Illinois was admitted to the Union as a state April 18, 1818. On the 31st of January, 1821. all of Madison county between the Illinois and Mississippi rivers was detached and made Pike county, with Cole's Grove, now Gilead, in Calhoixn county, as the county seat.

On" the 14fh day of September. 1824. John Wood inserted the following notice in the Edwards-ville Spectator: A petition will be presented to the General Assembly of the State of Illinois, at its next .session, praying for the estab- lishnient of a new county, to be formed from the county of Pike aiul the parts attached, the southern boundary of which shall be between towns three and four, south of the base line.

The notice having been published twelve times, as required by the law then in force relating to the formation of new counties, the General Assembly took prompt action in considering the matter presented in the petition of Mr. Wood, and at the following session passed a bill which was approved on the 18th of January, 1825, of which the following is a copy:

The County of Adams was formed out of the counties of I'ike and Fulton and the attached parts, by an act of the Legislature, approved Jan. 18, 1825, Act: Be it enacted, that all that tract of country within the following btrandaries, to-wit : beginning at the place where the township line between townships three south and four south touches the Mississipi^i river, thence east on said line to the range line between ranges four and five west, thence north on said range line to the northeast corner of township two north, range five west, thence west on said township line to the Mississippi river, and thence down said river to the place of beginning, shall constitute a county, to be called the county of Adams.

The same act appointed a committee consisting of Seymore Kellog of Morgan county, Joel Wright of Montgomery county and David Diitton of Pike county to select a permanent seat of justice for the new county. They were directed to meet at the house of Ebenezer Harkness, in said county, on the first Monday of the next April, or within seven days thereafter ; and after taking the oath before a justice of the peace, to locate the seat of justice for the future accommodation and convenience of the people; to proceed to fix the seat of justice. They were to forthwith make a copy of their proceedings and file the same in the office of the recorder of Pike county. The history of their action in this matter and tlie origin of tlie names of the county and the county seat are recorded elsewhere. It is sufficient to say that a majority of the committee met Api'il 30", 1825, and officially announced that the northwest quarter of .section 2, town 2 .south, range 9 west of 4th principal meridian, was the county seat of Adams county, and named the designated place Quiney.

On the 2d of July, 1825, in ]iursuance of an order of the judge of the Circuit Court, the first election for county officers was held at the cabin of Willard Keyes; about forty votes were cast, and Levi Wells, Peter Journey and Willard Keyes were elected county commissioners.

Peter Journey, a Jerseyman by birth, resided at the lower end of the bluffs, some ten miles south of Quiney, in what is now Fall Creek township ; Willard Keyes of Quiney lived at what is now the foot of Vermont streec, and Levi Wells resided near what is now the village of Payson. The county had at this time an estimated population of about seventy.

The first County Court of Adams county was (hdy organized at the house of Willard Keyes in Quiney on Monday, July -i, 1825. INIessrs. Joui-- ney, Keyes and Wells, all being present, and Karl Pierce was appointed a special constable for the court, and lleury II. Snow was appointed clerk, having Earl Pierce and Levi Iludley as his bondsmen. Ira Pierce was deputed to take the census of the county, and other matters of regular business were considered.

The county of Adams was one of the first to ;idiii)t township organization. On Tuesday, December 6, 1849, an order was made by the County Conunissioners' Couit api)ointing Thomas Enlow, Augustus E. Bowles and William Berry commissioners to divide the county into towns, as provided by an act of the Legislature, providing for the township organization of any county, after having so determined by a majoi'ity vote being cast in its favor at any general election. The rejxirt of these conunissioners was filed in the County Court on the Sth day of March, 1850. They divided the county, according to provisions of the act in force April 16, 1849, into twenty towns and " laid the same off by metes and bounds, ' ' adopting a name for each in accordance with the expressed wish of the inhabitants of said town respectively, selecting a name when the inhabitants of any town failed to agree.

The first meeting of the Board of Supervisors, under the law ])rovided for township organization, was held on the third day of Jiine, 1850, " through the call of the county clerk, by the apjn-oval of many of the Board of Supervisors." This meeting was held in the court room in the did court house, which stood on Fifth street, hctween Maine and Hampshire, in Quiney. W. 11. Tandy was elected chairman of the board for that session.

Adams county lies on the western border of the state, and is bounded on the north by Hancock county, on the east by Brown and Pike counties, on the south by Pike county, and it is separated from Missouri on the west by the Mississippi I'iver. It embraces an area of eight hundred and thirty-eight square miles, or a little more than twenty-three townships, divided for piirposes of local government into twenty-two towns. It is well watered, thorough surface drainage being afforded by numerous creeks flowing into the great river which forms its western boundary. Mention has been made of Bear creek, which drains the northern portion of the county ; Me- Gee's creek drains the eastern and central, and

McDonald's, or Iloman's, creek, Hadley creek and Mill creek intersect the southern, southwestern portion. These streams, together with abundant, fine, fresh water springs, furnish a plentiful supply of water for the stock growers. The uplands of the county are nearly equally divided into timber and prairie, the timber portions being mainly restricted to the broken lauds in the vicinitj' of the streams. The general elevation of the prairie region above the level of the Mississippi, at low water, is from two hundred to two hundred and eighty feet. Except for about two miles in the vicinity of Quincy, where the bluffs approach near to the river bank, a belt of alluvial bottom land from one to five miles in width extends the whole length of the county, from north to south, along the western border. By means of drainage and the erection of levees to prevent overflow from the river. the\' have been made the finest farm lands in the country. The destruction of native forests in Adams county has been very great, but there still remains small portions of these former extensive tracts, containing nearly one hundred species of native forest trees, oak, hickory, ash, elm, walnut, maple, sycamore, red bud, hawthorn and others.

The climate of Adams couuty is pleasant and healthful, and perpetual breezes blow over the cultivated lands, modifj-ing the summer heat. The seasons come with great regularity, favoring agriculture, and the rainfall is abundant and seasonable, averaging about 38 to 40 inches. The fluctuations in temperature are often great and sudden, especially in the transition seasons, but the vital statistics show that the climate is remarkably healthful, while the crop reports bear witness to its high fitness for agricultural development and the growth of great and valuable supplies of breadstuffs. New methods of scientific farming, the use of modei'n machinery, the extension of careful under-draining and the intelligence of hundreds of skilled farmers, are developing valuable agricultural properties.

Chapter Xlviii

To the ordinary reader a purely geological description is like so much Greek. For this reason the author has decided to depart from the usual custom of describing formations and strata with their complicated classifications and confusing nomenclature. Instead, suppose we take a stroll along the bluffs of Quincy. If we visit the quarries in the lower part of the city and look up at the cliffs above us we see, capping the bluff, a layer of clay about sixty feet thick. This rests upon a f(nindation of solid rock, consisting of limestock with layers of flint or chert in it. If we observe closely we see that the upper twelve or fifteen feet of rock is very eherty and the layers of limestone between the layers of chert are thin, while the lower portion contains less chert and makes excellent building stone.

(geologists have named the lower formation Burlington limestone, the upper thin bedded rock the Keokuk limestone, and the clay surmounting the rock, the loess. As we go toward the north we can trace these layers along the bluff's, and we find opposite the steamboat landing the Keokuk limestone is of such quality that it can be profitably quarried. As we go farther north the Keokuk formation grows thicker, and uorth of the city is extensively quarried. The thin-bedded eherty layers are overlaid by thicker and more regular beds of bluish-gray limestones, which may be seen to good advantage along some of the small streams northeast of Quincy. The foundation limestone of Gov. Wood's mansion is of this rock, obtained from a quarry about three miles northeast of Quincy. In this quarry the limestone is seen to be overlaid by brown shale containing geodes or "nigger heads." Where the geode beds are well developed the geodes appear as siliceous nodules of various sizes, some of them a foot or more in diameter. Some of them are solid spheres of crystalline quartz covered externally with a thin coating of chalcedony. Others are hollow and have their inner faces covered with beautiful crystals of quartz, calcite or dolomite, or with the mammillary form of chalcedony. Cry.stals of arragonite, iron pyrites and zinc blende are also occasionally found in these geodes, and the finest cabinet specimens of the crystallized minerals above mentioned to be found in the state are obtained from this bed. The shales and shaly limestones in whii-Ii the geodes are embedded yield readily to the influeuee of frost aud moisture, and the geodes are readily weathered out, and may be found in great numbers in the beds of the small streams which intersect these beds. Good specimens can be obtained from the bed of the small creek at Twenty-fourth and Locust streets.

The Keokuk limestone can be traced along the bluffs from Quincy to the north line of the county. At Bear Creek it forms a vertical cliff from forty to fifty feet in height. It is also found on all the small streams in the western part of the county as far south as Mill Creek, and on both forks of that stream, though not on the main creek.

If we attempt to trace this limestone into the eastern part of the county, we find that it is overlaid by still another kind of limestone, called the St. Louis limestone. This can be readily seen along the streams in McKee township, aud on the Walnut Fork of Mill Creek in Gilmer township, and again on the tributaries of Bear Creek in ^lendon township. On the main creek it can be traced for several miles farther east, where it passes under the shales wliii-h lielong to the coal measures.

The c(ial measures form the bedrock over the whole of the northeastern part of the county, and are so called because they contain the workable seams of coal. The rocks of this group contain shales, sandstones, bituminous slates and bands of limestone, with seams of coal and fire clay. Tlie whole thickness does not exceed one hundred and twenty feet. There are three seams of coal, known as No. 1, which is deepest down and from IV2 to 2 feet thick; No. 2, 2 to 3 feet thick; and No. 3, about I7 j feet thick. The middle coal seam (No. 2) is most regular, and furnishes the best coal in the county. Near Camp Point, on the south fork of Bear Creek, there is an outcrop of it which has been worked for a long time. Likewise outcrops are found along some of the tributaries of Bear Creek in the western part of the township; on Little Missouri Creek in the northeast part of Clayton ; on Cedar Creek in the extreme northeastern part of the county ; on a small branch of Mc- Gee's Creek south of the village of Clayton; and in the extreme southeastern section of Mendon.

South of ("layton the country is quite rolling and hilly, but the ravines seldom expose the bedrock, and no coal is found outcropping, though it probably underlies most of the surface north of !McGee's Creek. After crossing the creek at Hughes' Ford, in the southeastern part of the township of McKee, coal is found in the bluff on the south side, with outcrops of the St. Louis and Keokuk limestones below it. South of Liberty and west of Kingston coal outcrops at various localities along the head waters of McDonald's Creek, and before the construction of the C, B. & Q. railroad the beds were worked quite extensively and the coal hauled on wagons to supply the Quincy market.

In the southern part of the county the coal measures are very irregular in their development and are probably outliers from the main coal fields. North of Columbus the three seams are found in regular order. Coal No. 2, or the Colchester seam is by far the best developed, and probably underlies all of the townships of Camp Point, Clayton, Houston and Northeast, and may be reached by shafts at a depth of from 75 to 150 feet. South of Columbus there is no development of coal which would lead us to expect that this region will ever become a valuable mining region, though sufficient coal may be found in the vicinity of Liberty and Kingston to supply the local demand for some years to come. Mill Creek, on the M'estern borders of this region shows continuous exposures of the limestones which lie entirely below the coal measures and which mark off' a horizon below which no workable coal seam has ever been found.

In the northern part of the county the coal measiires rest upon the St. Louis limestone. In the extreme sovithern and southeastern part this limestone is not present, but the coal measui'es I'est directly upon the Keokuk or Burlington limestones, so that when any one of these is reached in searching for coal it is useless to go deeper.

Underneath the Burlington limestone is a formation called the Kinderhook Group, about one hundred feet in thickness, composed of sandy and clay shales and thin beds of impure limestone. About thirty feet of this is exposed beneath the Burlington limestone in the creek bluffs of Fall Creek, about twelve miles south of Quincy. Frequently a bed of black or chocolate-colored shale is found in the lower portion, and because of this many have been led to believe that coal might be found in it. This black shale was reached in a boring in search of coal just below the city of Quincy, at a depth of one hundred and fifty feet. As it lies nearly four hundred feet below any coal seam known in this county, all efforts exjiended in the search of coal in this formatiiin can only result in failure.

To sum up the rock formations found in the county, a complete section through all of them would show (1) about one hundred feet of the coal measures on top; (2) forty to fifty feet of the St. Louis limestone; (3) eighty to one hundred feet of the Keokuk group: (-4) about one hundred feet of the Burlington limestone, and (5) fifty feet of the partly exposed Kinderliook group at the bottom. A boring in the northeastern part of the county would probably go down through all of these in the succession given above. In the western and southern portions the upper formations have been eroded away, leaving the lower part of the Keokuk group on the surface, with the Burlington exposed beneath it in the bluffs along the ^Mississippi.

Let us now examine some of the deposits in the bottoms between the bluffs and the river. We find layers of dark bluish-gray or chocolate-brown clays, alternating with layers of sand, a formation c|uite different from the loess on top of the bluff's. This is called alluvium, and evidently has been layed down by the annual overflow of the river.

If we examine the layers of limestone in the quarries, we find many fossil shells and curious ring-like structures, crinoid stems, the remains of animals of a kind found only in the deep sea. That is to say. these limestone rocks must have been formed at the bottom of the sea. In the diff'erent limestones mentioned above we may find chai-acteristic fossils, by means of which the kind of limestone may be recognized wherever it is seen. In the loess have been found the remains of mammoths, mastodons and other extinct animals, indicating that it is a deposit of much later date than the limestones, and was probably formed in a fresh-water lake, into which the bones of land animals and the shells of land snails were swept by .streams running into it from the adjacent land.

If we travel back into the county away from the river, we find that the loess thins out as we approach the highlands in the interior of the county, and finally gives place to a formation composed of yellowish-brown or bluish clays, mixed with sand, gravel and large boulders of water-worn rock, the whole mass showing little or no trace of stratification. It is simply a heterogeneous mass of the waterworn fragments of all the kinds of rock that are known to occur for several hundred miles to the northward, embedded in brown or blue clays. Most of the large boulders are sand- .stones, granites, porphyries and various other igneous or metamorphic rocks, which have been transported by some powerful agency from their mother ledges on the borders of the Great Lakes. There are also many smaller rounded boulders, which have been torn from the stratified rocks of our own and neighboring states. Fragments of native copper, lead ore coal and iron are often found in this mass, but this does not imply that there are mines of these minerals in the near vicinity, but that they have been brought from farther north by the same agencies that carried the Test of the material. The technical term for this formation is "drift." It underlies the loess or is overlapped by it, and is therefore older in origin. Thin layers of this drift can be seen between tli.- limestone and the loess along the bluff's at yuincy. A coal shaft at Coatsburg penetrates a bed of it eighty-five feet thick, and beneath it is found a layer of black soil two and one-half feet thick, resting upon a stratified clay. This soil was probably an ancient surface soil which overspread the land before the age in which the drift was piled upon it.

If we travel up and down the Mississippi, we observe that the valley is cut out of solid limestone to the depth of from one hundred and fifty to three hundred feet or more, and from five to ten miles in width. In .some portions of this valley some of this drift is found underneath the alluvium. Evidently it filled in portions of the valley before the present river was formed, and the rock-bound valley must have been excavated by some mighty agency before the deposit of the drift and before any of the existing water courses were formed.

In order to understand the geological history of Adams county it is necessary to go back to the beginnings of the American continent. Geologists, by long and patient study and by methods of reasoning too complicated to be taken up in this short treatise, have succeeded in classifying the various rocks according to age and origin. The oldest rocks in the continent are found in (1) extensive areas of Canada north of the Great Lakes: (2) an axis through the Appalachian mountain system; (3) a similar axis along the Rockies; (4) numerous strips along the Pacific coast; and (5) small isolated areas in Dakota, Missouri and Texas. There is good evidence that at one time these areas constituted the only land in what is now North America. The entire region now occupied by the Mississippi basin was at the bottom of the sea. These areas formed nuclei around which the rest of the continent was built. Just as immense deposits are now being made along our coast lines by the river carrying sediment into the sea. so 'deposits were made along these ancient coast lines, and sooner or later a gradual elevation of the sea bottom brought these deposits to the siirface, and thus the continent slowly grew. Ag-e after age passed, each one consisting of millions of years, and the great sea lying between the Rockies and AUeghanies was gradually crowded out of existence until now only a remnant of it, the Gulf of ilexico, is left. Even this will probably disappear in time, and the Mississippi River will then empty into the Atlantic Ocean, and all the rivers which now empty into the (iulf will become tributaries of it.

It was during the process of tlie filling in of this sea that the Kinderhook and St. Louis limestones and coal measures of Adams countywere deposited one on top of the other. The growth of the land was not a continuous one. Portions of the sea Itottom were elevated above sea level and eroded by the weather and the streams, and then depressed below sea level to receive another deposit. This elevation and depression in some cases occurred many times, and accounts for the absence of the St. Louis formation between the Keokuk and the coal measures in the southern part of our county. Again, while the coal measures were being formed there must have been at least as many elevations and depressions of the land as there are seams of coal. Each seam represents a forest which must have grown while the land was above the sea level. This must have been depressed below sea level in order that the limestones and shales might be deposited on top of it, and so on for every seam of coal. We have in our county only a small part of the total thickness of the coal measures, so that after the coal measures were completely formed and perhaps other deposits laid on top and the land became permanently elevated above the sea, it must have been greatly eroded. The streams cut their channels down through the rock, and assisted by the action of the weather, removed much of the rock material, wearing away all the formations down to those now exposed. It was during this period that a great river eroded the rock-bound channel now occixpied by the ilississippi, and it is probable that the erosion was so complete that no falls or rapids remained in its course. There was a landscape with its forests, rivers and valleys somewhat similar to that which Ave have now. Then came the ice age; the climate grew colder; snow accumulated in the region in the vicinity of Hudson's Bay, and became perhaps several miles in depth, forming an immense glacier or ice sheet, which with the tremendous pressure of the ever-increasing snow behind it was pushed out over the land in a southerly direction. The moving ice broke off pieces of rock from the ledges, ground them together and scraped the soil from the surface of the land.

forming a great mass of material which we have designated as "drift." This was pushed into the water courses, filling them up in places, or piled up at the edges of the glacier, where the ice melted. This is why we find in the "drift" so many boulders from the region of the (ireat Lakes.

There is evidence that as the climate changed the glacier advanced and retreated many times, now piling up material at its end, or dropping it broadcast as it melted away, scooping out basins in the soft rock here, damming up a water course there, so that at the close of thr ice age the map of the country was completely changed. Old rivers had been wiped out of existence and new ones formed. Numerous lakes were formed in the scooped out basins and dammed up streams, and it is probable that our loess deposits were formed in one of these lakes. Since that time erosion has been going steadily on. The outlets of many of the glacial lakes have cut down the barriers which enclosed them and drained the lakes. The rivers have settled down and now occupy in part the old preglacial water courses, but wherever a fall occurs in a large .stream there is m many casrq good evidence that a dam exists in the old water course, and the river is making its way around this dam across country, so to speak, and falling back into the old water course below the dam. As time goes on, all the falls and rapids will disappear, all the elevated portions of land will be weathered away by the action of the elements, unless some other stupendous forces intervene and cause a repetition of the phenomena described.

Economical Geology

Soil. - As an agricultural region this county is hard to surjiass. The more elevated alluvial bottom lands bordering the Mississippi are exceedingly productive, and the untillable portions are covered with a heavy growth of valuable timber. The loess deposits, extending through the entire length of the county from north to south and from the brow of the bluff f)verlooking the ]\Iississippi eastward from five to ten miles, fui-nish a soil of remai'kable fertility. The surface is undulating, giving free surface drainage, while the subsoil is rather porous, so that the land is not in a very large degree subject to the deleterious influences of remarkably wet or dry seasons. This soil is admirably adajited to the growth of fruit and garden trm-k-. The drift clays of the eastern part of the county have given the soil of that region the character of a stiff clay loam, better adapted to the growth of wheat and grass than anything else. In the northeastern part of the county there is a eoiisiderable area of level prairie, covered with a deep, black soil, highly charged with vegetable matter derived from the growth and decay of shrubs and grasses which have covered its surface. The subsoil here is not porous, so that it does not permit the surface water to pass freely through it. As a result these l.-'nds are likely to suffer greatly from too much water during a wet seasoji.

Saud and Clays. - The clay and tine sandy deposits of the loess form an excellent material for the manufacture of common brick. This may be obtained anywhere in the western part of the county. In the eastern part the drift clays can be mixed with the sand from the beds of streams for this same purpose. Directly undei-neath the coal seams are deposits of tire clay, which in some places can be Avorked with the coal and used for the manufacture of fire bricks. Between coal seams \o. 1 and No. 2 is a layer of fine light blue clay shale, which where exposed weathers into a fine plastic clay, suitable for the manufacture of pottery.

Limestones. - The Burlington. Keokuk and St. Louis limestones described above all furnish excellent material for either building stone, or, when carefully selected, for lime. The Burlington and Keokuk are most accessible around Quincy, and the St. Louis farther east. The Burlington ranks highest, and as the deposit is nearly one hundred feet thick, may be considered as almost inexhaustible.

Coal. - About one-half the entire county is underlaid by coal measures, but the coal seams, with the excejition of the middle one, are very irregular in their development and therefore of little value for the production of coal. The middle seam has an average thickness (if over two feet, and is frequently as much as thirty inches, and is of fair quality. It may be found over all the northeastern portion of the county, if the coal measures are penetrated to the proper depth. The pi'incipal drawback to the successful mining of the seam is the shaly character of the roof, necessitating considerable cribbing. This coal seam will afford about two million tons of coal to the square mile, and the time will come when it will pay to work it wherever it can be reached.

Cilaptee Xlix

AGRICULTURE: THE DISTRICTS OF ILLINOIS - DEVELOPMENT OP LANDS - FARMERS' INSTITUTES - SOILS - CROPS - CATTLE, HOGS, HORSES, POULTRY - ROADS - HORTICULTURE.

The County of Adams lies on the Mississippi River, in the State of Illinois, in the center of the great corn belt of the United States, The Base Line runs centrally through it, and it includes ranges 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 in the most fertile part of the Mississippi Valley. On its western boundary, along the river, lies some of the most fertile lands known for agricultural purposes, and by leveeing and tiling most of it has been brought into cultivation. That portion known as the bluff lands is among the mo.st fertile of the county. They produce all the grains and vegetables in abundance. These table lands lie more or less along the west side of Payson, Burton, Ellington, Mendon and Ursa townships. All these lands sell readily at high prices; and a considerable portion of them ai*e used for extensive gardening, which pays in proportion to the skill of the gardener. These garden products are the best that rich soil and cultivation can develop. The remaining townships are mostly prairie land, fertile and productive, and although it has been cultivated ever since its earliest settlement, it produces as good crops as in the beginning. Therefore the development of the county's agricultural interests are commensurate with the general progress.

The State of Illinois is divided into three agricultiu'al districts - namely, the northern, the central and the southern. There is also known to agriculturalists a corn belt which virtually feeds the world with corn and its products - pork, beef and mutton. This coi'n belt runs through the States of Ohio. Indiana, Illinois, Missoiu'i, Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska. These seven .states furnish the surplus of agriculture. The others are barely self-sustaining. Illinois furnishes more agricultural exports than any other of these states, and produces the most products of the farm. This corn belt includes the northern and central divisions of Illinois: therefore Adams county, being in the center of that division, claims her share of the honor of this great exportation.

The .staple field crops are corn, wheat, oats, hay, clover seed, timothy seed and potatoes; these grow vigorously and produce good crops. The soil seems to be peculiarly adapted to these field crops, and more especially to the farmer's garden. Our farmers, as a general rule, have taken fairlv good care of their soil.

OceasioniiUy a farmer or a gardener will fail to make a living, while others under the same eirctimstances and conditions have done well; tlierefore. not the soil, but the man who handles it. is at fault if it fails to produce.

The lands of Adams county, as Nature has pi'ovided, can be kept up, and have been developed so as to raise better crops than in ]iervious years. Help is scarce and farm labor is expensive, therefore improved farm machinery is used to the general advantage of our farm owners. And as to the benefit to the tenant farmer, I know of no better place for him to start than here, by renting a good farm, well improved. If he can't pay cash rent, he may give one-half of the crop of corn and hay, and two-fifths of wheat and oats. There are .Just such openings for good tenants, who can take a lease for five years, and at the end of the lease buy the farm, so that the interest on the debt will be less than the rent paid. Theji the tenant is on the way to success. There is reported by the Department of Agriculture, in the Year Book, the ease of a merchant who inherited a farm in the East, fifteen acres, with a mortgage on it of $7,000. This was perhaps three or four times as much as it was worth, and it would seem that a common sense man would have let the farm l)ay the debt by foreclosure. I^ut this man moved upon his farm, and in time lifted the mortgage. This .shows what industry and economy can accomplish. There are owners of good farms in Adams county today who commenced as tenants, and who now rank among the best farm owners. It is quite probable that the tenants of today will iiltimately own much of the best lands of our county.

"Have the farmers of this county gained much from goverinnent experiments?" we are asked. We unquestionably answer, "Yes." The government has issued bulletins on almost every conceivable product of agricultural industry, and they are furnished free to anyone Avho will ask for them. But as our "suggestive fpiestions" demand something about our coimty farmers' institutes, we will discuss this subject later on.

All the tillable lands in the county are not what we call corn lands. Some of them will raise only one corn crop profitably without rotation. These rough lands, such as those in ^IcKee and Concord townships, would be more jirofitable if seeded to grass and used as pasture. To raise grain on them fertilizers will have to be applied every year, and then the soil will wash away. But by pasturing, the stock will fertilize them and the grass roots will hold the soil. The timber among the creeks and branches shoidd be carefullv guarded, as it is a valuable product. If onehalf of McKee township were seeded down to blue-grass, clover and timothy, and the poor lands fenced into large pastures in such a way as to make water convenient, and the bluegrass pastured early in the spring and late in the fall, it would make a great ranch. Then if the other half were fenced into grain and hay fields in such a manner that they could be used as feed lots, she could, with her timber and rock and coal and great supply of stock water, be a marvel of wealth. We believe it would make an experiment station more valuable than any whose record is yet published to teach how to redeem the abandoned faimis of the country, and we doubt not that it would lie the "one thing needful" which would determine the debated (|uesti((u of building the much needed I'ailrnad east throuiih the country.

As time passes and farmers are experimenting more and more on the flat lands of the country by different modes of cultivation, they have overcome much of the damage previously due to wet lands, and good crops are grown where twenty years ago the land was not fit for cultivation. Therefore tiled drainage has not received the attention that it might otherwise have received. All the land is drained where it is necessary to bring it into cultivation, but more of it would be better tlirongh being tiled.

Fai-mers are living well now. and are making improvements in every line of agriculture ; their old houses have been replaced by new ones ; the old dilapidated rail fences, which have lived out their usefulness, are fast disapijearing, and in their stead is the wire fence. There are no more fence rows where the weeds are higher than the fence : the houses and barns are adequate to the conditions of the farmer, ar.d are beautifully and substantially painted and repaired ; the lawns are clothed in nature's beauties and are artistically arranged; the family gardens in their season abound with almost everything known to the vegetable kingdom, and the county seems to be taking on new life. All this is being brought about through the influence, direct and indirect, of the Illinois Farmers' Institute.

In 1881. by the suggestion of the State Board of Agriculture, a County Farmers' Institute was oi'ganized in Adams county by the election of G. W. Dean. President: C. S. Booth. Secretary, and A. R. Wallace. Treasurer. We had no way to support it except by the encouragement of such men as P. S. Judy (known as "Fncle Phil"), A. R, Wallace. W. A. Booth. S. N. Black and a number of others. Witli this support it became popular.