Calftown Cookout

WHAT: HSQAC 125TH ANNIVERSARY; CALFTOWN PICNICWHEN: SEPTEMBER 19, 2021, 12:00 NOON – 4:00 PM
WHERE: GOVERNOR JOHN WOOD MANSION GROUNDS, 425 SOUTH 12th, QUINCY
WHO: HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF QUINCY AND ADAMS COUNTY
HISTORICAL SOCIETY MARKS 125th YEAR

Quincy, Ill., August 25, 2021–The Historical Society of Quincy and Adams County is celebrating its milestone 125th anniversary year with a Calftown Cookout picnic on the grounds of the Governor John Wood Mansion, on Sunday, September 19. The event is open to the public. The celebration will run from 12:00 noon until 4:00 pm and will feature live music; food and beverages; a book signing; free tours of the Governor’s historic home; and self-guided walking tours of Calftown. Food and beverage trucks will be available on the grounds and Quincy’s premier horn band, Jukebox Reloaded will perform from 2-4 pm.
Dr. David Costigan, the Society’s Historian in Residence and a long-time member, will sign copies of his book A City in Wartime: Quincy, Illinois and the Civil War at the event. The book will also be available for purchase that day. Some seating and an event tent will be provided, but guests are also welcome to bring lawn chairs.
The organization was formed on Friday, June 12, 1896, as the Historical Society of Quincy, Illinois. The first meeting was held at the Young Men’s Business Association and drew an unexpectedly large crowd. At that meeting a constitution was adopted and the first officers of the Society were elected, including Lorenzo Bull (president), James Woodruff (1st Vice President), General E.B. Hamilton (2nd Vice President), Thaddeus Rogers (Recording Secretary), S.M. Emery, Jr. (Corresponding Secretary), Edward Wells (Treasurer), Chauncey Castle (Auditor), and William Collins (Historiographer).
The charter was signed and submitted to the Office of the Secretary of State of Illinois on June 25, 1896. William Hinrichsen, the Secretary of State of Illinois, officially signed, acknowledged and filed the certificate on June 29, 1896, recognizing the Historical Society of Quincy, Illinois as a legally organized corporation under the laws of the state.
The Society has long been affiliated with the iconic Governor John Wood Mansion. In late 1906 the city approved a request to construct an alley near 12th and State which would have required the historic home to be demolished. In 1907, however, Louise Maertz, a prominent member of the Historical Society, with the help of Daniel Wood, the son of John Wood, raised enough funds to purchase the Mansion and protect it. The Historical Society took control of the property in 1907 and has maintained the home ever since. For many years it served as the main address of the Society and housed the organization’s many artifacts, including the original compass used by John Wood to explore the bounty lands and the first seal of the city. These items are currently on display in the History Museum on the Square at 332 Maine Street.
This historically significant home was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970 and in 2007 was named one of Illinois’ 150 most important architectural structures. In celebration of the 2018 Illinois Bicentennial, the home was selected as one of the Illinois 200 Great Places by the American Institute of Architects Illinois.
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