Once Upon a Time: Stories from Adams County
Every Sunday, the Herald-Whig features fascinating glimpses into Adams County's past through our "Once Upon a Time" column. HSQAC members research and share compelling narratives about the people, places, and moments that built our community. Browse our collection of articles from August 2011 to present using our searchable database by title, subject, or author.
If you are interested in submitting an article for consideration for the Once Upon a Time column, please email us or call the HSQAC Office at 217-222-1835.
Christmas 1944: Carols, Ration Books, and War
December 1944 brought an unusual warmth to the Midwest, a fleeting comfort before winter’s chill returned just in time for the holidays. Amid ration books and shortages, families improvised with…
How Did Canals and Railroads Change Travel?
Canals changed how people traveled and settled in Illinois. In many places it replaced the stage coach which was the first form of public transport between towns. The canal system…
Stage Coach Travel
How did early settlers travel to and from Quincy? Americans tended to drift west from where they started, following lines of least resistance, which were the rivers and the drainage…
Revolutionary War Soldiers Buried in Adams County
Doctor Daniel Wood is the best-known veteran of the American Revolutionary War buried in Adams County. A physician before the war, Wood was appointed surgeon in the regiment of Col.…
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… .”…
John Wood and the Peace Conference of 1861
On January 7, 1861, Virginia Gov. John Letcher proposed that delegates from every state gather in Washington, D.C. for a national conference to stop what he called a “monstrous” march…
