Bathing Park

A brief article in the January 15, 1882 Quincy Daily Whig, started by saying, “Some of our citizens are agitating the establishment of a bathing park in this city… .” No names were mentioned but the article implied that it was an expensive proposition. After locating a spot, they would need to dig an artesian well and build a bath house. The group wrote to a citizen of Pekin, Illinois, who said building a bathing facility could be a profitable investment.

The plan was again discussed a few days later in the newspaper. The design was large scale with two pools of water of varying depth which could be flooded in the winter for skating. The article went on to say, “There is no place in this vicinity where children can bathe without running the risk of drowning. … Everyone knows that boys will go in swimming, even at the risk of their lives… .” The article author did not forget about adults saying, “Many of our citizens would bathe much oftener, were it not for the fact that they are obliged to walk up the long hill from the river.”

The first mention of a bathing park, actually a pool, was in 1873. The pool was at anchor on the river and luckily did not drift away during a great storm that July. The pool was dismantled in the fall and put in storage for the next year.

No other mention of the pool was in the papers until 1875, when the location of the bathing park at the foot of Jersey Street was described. The June 18, 1875 Daily Quincy Herald states that the park, “is patronize by hundreds of our citizens daily…. and the bath house will surpass anything to be found in the west.”

By deciding Quincy needed a bathing park in the city and not in the river for cleanliness, entertainment, and safety, a business group went ahead with incorporating a company in 1882.

The Pavillion Roller Skating Rink got involved. Leaders planned a bathing park at the rink by building a tank 60 feet by 50 feet and 4 feet deep for use in the summer months. Unfortunately, the south wall of the basin gave way about a week after opening. It was not rebuilt.

That same year an entrepreneur came to Quincy from Peoria with the goal of sinking an artesian well for a bathing pool in in the area which would later become Riverview Park. However he wrote in the February 2, 1882 Quincy Daily Whig that the area “was entirely unsuited for a summer resort.”

Discussions and schemes about bathing pools and parks went on for years. There was a swimming pool at St. Francis College, but it was not opened to the public. The newspapers questioned why Quincy lacked a public pool, especially considering that other towns have them. Even a group of ladies from the Women’s Council tried to solicit funds to build a bathing facility in 1895. As they went around the community asking for pledges,  they discovered that some knew nothing about a pool, others wanted to think about it, while still others thought it should be a city endeavor paid for by taxes.  Unfortunately, nothing came of their “laudable ambition” to have a city pool.

By then the community had an ordinance against swimming in the Mississippi River within the city limits. It was dangerous and boys would be levied a $5.00 fine if caught by the police. Downings were reported almost daily. The July 1, 1896 Quincy Daily Journal said, “A desire to bathe is not a crime, but a virtue; and especially in sizzling hot weather… .  It is a constant source of wonder and regret that his city situated right on the Mississippi River should not long ago have provided a public bathing station… .”

In 1901 the topic again drew community attention. An article appeared in the July 8, 1901 Quincy Daily Journal complete with an illustration and an interview with John Blickhan about the old bathing pool at the foot of Jersey Street. It was called the Quincy Bathing Park for Ladies and Gentlemen. The boat house was 104 feet long and 80 feet wide. It was supported by four boats under the house and held 85 dressing rooms. There were three pools: a “swimming basement” for ladies, a pool for boys and a pool for men.

The pool had a canvas cover. The sides and the bottoms were covered with slates a few inches wide. Blickhan said there have been times when 165 people were using the pools. There were also private bathing rooms, “…if you did not wish to mingle with the common herd.” The price for a swim varied from 10 cents to 25 cents, with the higher price including soap, a towel, and a bathing suit. The article stated that the pool “was filled to overflowing with the best people in Quincy.” He even boasted that people would come from Chicago to swim based on its stellar reputation.

Blickhan was opposed to a swimming pool in the city due to “dead water” which in hot weather, would prove to be unhealthy. His swimming pool was constantly refreshed by clean river water due to the strong current.  The pool house was attached to the river bank by strong wire cables which allowed it to move but not break free. “the water was always fresh and pure.” Regrettably, the structure was subsequently lost to a fire, and it was not reconstructed.

Blickhan was interviewed because the Quincy Humane Society’ was involved in planning a pool at that time. The organization once again identified the foot of Jersey Street as the preferred location for the pool. The July 9, 1901 Quincy Daily Journal article said, “The committee was unanimously opposed to establishing the pool up in town, holding that the river is the place for it—which is undoubtedly correct.”

Building “up in town” pools is a topic for another time.

Arlis Dittmer is a retired health science librarian and former president of the Historical Society of Quincy and Adams County. During her years with Blessing Health System, she became interested in medical and nursing history—both topics frequently overlooked in history.

Sources:

“About Town.” Quincy Whig, September 10, 1873, 4.

Bath House A Necessity.” Quincy Daily Whig, July 4, 1891, 3.

“Bathing Park.” Quincy Daily Whig, January 15, 1882, 10.

“Bathing Park.” Quincy Daily Whig, May 12, 1885, 3.

“Brevities.” Quincy Morning Whig, September 11, 1895, 8.

“From The People.” Quincy Daily Whig, February 7, 1882, 8.

“Great Storm.” Quincy Whig, July 5, 1873, 4.

“Need a Public Bathing Pool.” Quincy Daily Journal, July 1, 1896, 4.

“Place For Bath Pool.” Quincy Daily Journal, July 9, 1901, 8.

“The Quincy Bathing Park.” Daily Quincy Herald, June 18, 1875, 4.

“Quincy’s Old Bathing Pool.” Quincy Daily Journal, July 8, 1901, 8.

“Place For Bath Pool.” Quincy Daily Journal, July 9, 1901, 8.