Quincy,Illinois,islocatedontheMississippiRiverabout
20milesnorthofHannibal,Missouri,and100miles
westofSpringfield,thestatecapital.BothQuincyandthe
countyinwhichitlies,Adams,werenamedforPresident
JohnQuincyAdams.
In1822,amannamedJohnWoodbuiltacabinatthe
footofwhatwouldlaterbecomeDelawareStreet,nearthe
MississippiRiver.Asmorepeoplecame,thevillagegrew
eastwardfromthatspot.ManyGermanandIrishimmigrants
cametoQuincy,alongwithpioneersmovingfromKentucky
andVirginia.Thesesettlerswereluredtotheareabyreports
ofthelushlandcalledthe"JeweloftheWest,"which
waslatercalled"TheGemCity."Industrialistscamefrom
NewYorkandotherEasternstatesandbuiltmanyofthe
statelyhomesonMaineStreetandtheadjacentstreets.
EarlyindustryinQuincyincludedporkpacking,tobacco
processing,papermaking,stovemaking,carriagemaking,
theiceindustry,andlumberyards.