Published August 5, 2012
By Amy Kaiser
One of the more
obvious lessons history teaches us is that just because something “is” there
does not mean it will always “be” there.
The citizens of Quincy came very close to learning that lesson the hard way in
1906. The Governor John Wood Mansion, a seemingly permanent fixture at the
corner of 12th and State in Quincy, was in imminent danger of demolition. The
stately Greek Revival mansion built by John Wood, the founder of Quincy and
former governor of Illinois, was slated to be torn down for an alley. The
owners of a group of businesses located on the same corner of State Street as
the mansion wanted to buy the property, tear the building down, and construct
an access alley to their businesses. In the fall of 1906, with their plans
approved by the Quincy City Council, it appeared the John Wood Mansion’s days
were numbered.
Yet, there was still a chance to save the mansion. The recently formed Quincy
Historical Society decided to try. It offered to buy the mansion from its
current owners, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Lambrecht. The Wood family had not
occupied the mansion since 1880, and it had gone through several owners by
1906. The suggestion to purchase and preserve the John Wood Mansion was made at
the Society’s Oct. 16 board of directors meeting by the board’s secretary,
Louise Maertz. Louise was instrumental in saving the John Wood Mansion from
demolition. Of course, Louise’s efforts were not surprising to those that knew
her. She had devoted her life to community and charitable causes. Louise was
born in Quincy in 1838 to Charles Augustus and Ottilia Obert Maertz, prosperous
immigrants from Germany. For most of her early years, Louise was in poor
health.
Her parents sent her to Europe when she was 18 for treatments at
various mineral springs in Germany. She spent two years in Europe where she took
the opportunity to travel to Italy and Switzerland and learn as much as she
could about the culture and history of Europe.
Upon her return to Quincy in 1858, a rejuvenated Louise devoted herself to
helping her family. Like so many others of her era, she eventually was pulled
into the Civil War. She volunteered to help the Union and became a nurse. She
began her nursing career by volunteering at the military hospitals in Quincy.
In 1862, she was sent by Dorthea Dix to Helena Ark. By the end of the war,
Louise had worked at many military and field hospitals including those in New
Orleans and Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis. Dr. L.P. Brockett, an army doctor
who worked with Louise, described her as having “real devotion to the welfare
of the soldiers of the Union” and that in “serving the causes of patriotism and
humanity, she had few equals.”
When the war ended in 1865, Louise’s efforts to help others did not. After the
war she was involved in helping refugees and the widows of
soldiers who had died during thewar. She found time in 1879 to
publish a bookentitled “A New Method for the Study of
English Literature.” She envisioned this book as a guide
for the study of some of the greatest works written in the English language.
She also wrote a well-received and detailed biography of her father, Charles
Augustus. In it, she describes her father as “benevolent and generous,” as well
as “exacting in his own rights, and carefully recognizing those of others.”
Much of the same could be said about Louise.
If that was not enough, Louise, through her numerous donations to charitable
causes, corresponded with such notable figures of the late nineteenth century
as Jane Addams, the founder of Hull House in Chicago, and Dr. Thomas John
Barnardo, the founder of Dr. Barnardo’s Homes for Destitute Children in London,
England. Louise’s generosity knew no territorial bounds.
Given Louise’s background, determination, and energy, it’s fair to say that the
businessmen on the northeast corner of 12th and State did not stand a chance of
getting that alley. She was very well-known in the Quincy community by 1906.
When she brought something to the attention of the citizens of Quincy, people
listened.
Numerous discussions and negotiations took place between October of 1906 and
February 1907 when the Historical Society finally acquired the mansion. There
was even a discussion by Louise and other board members about the possibility
of moving it a few feet to build the alley. It was finally agreed that the
mansion would be sold by the Lambrechts for $1,700, with $200 down and a
further payment of $650 by Jan. 1, 1907. The remaining balance was to be paid
within three years. The sale was finalized on Feb. 27, 1907, with the mansion
remaining where it was.
Louise did not act alone to save the John Wood Mansion, one of the first and
finest examples of historical preservation in Illinois. It was through the
efforts of many Historical Society members including Daniel Wood, the late governor’s son, and the
generous financial donations of the citizens of Quincy that the John Wood
Mansion was ultimately saved. At the time, the Historical Society tried to
purchase the mansion, the Society’s treasury had only $150 on hand. It was the
citizens of Quincy who helped make up that difference.
Louise died at her home at 327 Elm on Feb. 4, 1918. She lived a full and rich
life and serves as an example to this day of the difference one person can make
in the lives of others.
Amy Kaiser is an active member and former vice president and secretary of the
Historical Society. She is a lawyer and has taught history in the Quincy Public
Schools.
Sources
Brockett, L.P.
“Louisa Maertz.” Woman’s Work in the Civil War: A Record of Heroism,
Patriotism, and Patience. Boston, MA: Zeigler, McCurdy and Co., 1868.
Historical Society of
Quincy and Adams County. “John Wood Mansion.” n.d.
Landrum, Carl.
“Charles E. Maertz, Builder.” Landrum’s Quincy Volume 2. Quincy, IL:
Justice Publications, 1996.
Maertz, Louise. A New
Method for the Study of English Literature. Chicago, IL: Silver, Burdett, and
Company, 1879.
Maertz, Louise. Charles
Augustus Maertz:: A Short Story of Our Dear Fathers Life. Quincy, IL:
self-published, n.d.
“Sketch of Louise
Maertz.” Chicago Women’s News. April,1894: 1.
“To Save the Home
of Quincy’s Founder.” Quincy Daily Journal. 20 Oct. 1906: 5.
Warning, Helen.
“Pioneer Women of Quincy.” Quincy Herald Whig. n.d., in File MS 920
MAE, Historical Society of Quincy and Adams County, Quincy, Illinois.
