Quincy, Illinois, is located on the Mississippi River about
20 miles north of Hannibal, Missouri, and 100 miles
west of Springfield, the state capital. Both Quincy and the
county in which it lies, Adams, were named for President
John Quincy Adams.
In 1822, a man named John Wood built a cabin at the
foot of what would later become Delaware Street, near the
Mississippi River. As more people came, the village grew
eastward from that spot. Many German and Irish immigrants
came to Quincy, along with pioneers moving from Kentucky
and Virginia. These settlers were lured to the area by reports
of the lush land called the "Jewel of the West," which
was later called "The Gem City." Industrialists came from
New York and other Eastern states and built many of the
stately homes on Maine Street and the adjacent streets.
Early industry in Quincy included pork packing, tobacco
processing, paper making, stove making, carriage making,
the ice industry, and lumberyards.