City of Quincy history

In 1838, many members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints fled persecution in Missouri and found shelter in Quincy.

The founding of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad in 1855 and construction of a rail bridge in Quincy was a major drive for creating a transportation hub in the region and furthered commerce.

In 1858, three brothers founded one of the largest breweries in the United States in Quincy’s 9th & York area.

In 1860, Quincy founder and Lieutenant Governor John Wood inherited the governorship of Illinois.

The Civil War brought many changes and following the Reconstruction Era, Quincy was selected as the location for Illinois’ first Veteran’s Home in 1886.

Throughout the 19th Century, Quincy had grown from a backwater hamlet along the Mississippi River to become one of the state’s most important cities and ports. It was during the early decades of the 20th Century that many of the city’s historic buildings in the Downtown Quincy Historic District were constructed, including the city’s first skyscraper, the Western Catholic Union Building, in 1925.

In 1930, the Memorial Bridge, a two-lane truss toll bridge, was opened connecting Quincy to Missouri.

In 1987, the cable-stayed Bayview Bridge was constructed to help alleviate traffic on the aging Memorial Bridge.