Published March 14, 2024
By Rob Mellon
January 2, 1904 was an extremely cold Saturday night. Two members of the stage crew of the storied Empire Theater located at 115 N. 8th Street were moving scenery pieces at the conclusion of the production and noticed tongues of flame shooting out of the roof of the Quincy Conservatory of Music which was located on the southeast corner of 7th and Hampshire Streets. Luckily, it was 10:30 pm. The last show at the Empire had ended and all the patrons had left. Earlier, a major fire so close to the theater would have caused a frantic situation. The Quincy Fire Department (QFD) was soon notified, a general alarm called, and crews of 1st, 2nd, and 4th Chemical Hook & Ladder as well as the engine from station No. 7 responded.
The crews from the fire department were greeted by the janitor of the Quincy Conservatory of Music who informed them that he believed that the four students who lived there were still in the building. A search for the individuals ensued which took more than 20 minutes. It was finally determined that the students who resided on the 3rd floor of the building had all gone home for the holidays and were still out of town, but the search delayed firefighting measures, which in effect sealed the fate of the historic structure.
To make matters worse, the arctic conditions on that January night had caused a frozen babcock on the Steinbach engine, which meant the equipment was not able to pump properly. Additionally, during the chaos fire fighter George Marriott fell 8-feet from one of the mansion’s porches. Fortunately, he was only slightly injured and was able to remain on duty fighting the blaze. After more than 30 minutes, water finally poured onto the structure from the engines the crews were operating. The fire department was able to save St. Boniface Parochial School which was located immediately to the south.
In 1904, the historic building at 7th and Hampshire housed the Quincy Conservatory of Music, but everyone in Quincy referred to it as the “Old Browning Mansion.” Orville Hickman Browning, the former U.S. Senator and Secretary of the Interior, had built the mansion for $30,000 more than 50 years before the fateful fire. In their grand home the Browning’s held many lavish dinners, parties, and events and hosted several prominent Americans from across the country. The palatial three-story brick mansion astonished visitors due to its architectural design, fine furnishings, and the two massive stone pillars that jutted to the sky from the impressive front steps.
Famously, Abraham Lincoln at the conclusion of the Lincoln-Douglas Debate, left the platform in Washington Park and strolled the few short blocks to the Browning home where he walked to the top of the stone steps and stood between the imposing pillars, receiving congratulations from a throng of supporters, admirers, and friends. Lincoln was very close friends with Orville and Eliza Browning and dined at the Browning mansion during his visit to Quincy. The Browning’s entertained countless dignitaries and guests at their home through the years, but Lincoln’s visit was undoubtedly the most famous.
If the walls of the old home could talk a bevy of tales would certainly have been told, but sadly, the fire on that cold January night in 1904 spelled doom for the historic mansion. The blaze had started as the result of an overheated furnace pipe in the cellar that caught a wooden partition on fire. The fire then followed a hot air shaft straight to the top floor and roof of the building. By the time the flames were extinguished, the roof of the mansion had been destroyed. In addition, water, smoke, and fire destroyed the Conservatory’s six pianos, several instruments, new sheet music, and most of the personal possessions of the teachers and headmaster H.D. Jackson. Amazingly, the resilient stone walls of the mansion were not destroyed and actually had helped limit the damage to the east side of the building.
Orville Browning had sold the mansion in the later years of his life and moved to a more rural and private setting on Spruce Street. After Browning, the mansion had been the home of Dr. E.B. Montgomery and later Dr. John Koch. It was purchased by St. Boniface Catholic Church and served as the parsonage for Father Weis and his assistant priests for a time as well. In 1904, St. Boniface still owned the building and leased it to Professor Jackson and the Quincy Conservatory of Music.
Shortly after the incident in 1904, the St. Boniface Society met to discuss the fate of the building. Believing that renovation costs would be too significant, they decided to tear the structure down. Some community leaders thought that the site would be perfect for business investment and advocated for the construction of several Hampshire Street- facing store fronts. Eventually St. Boniface tore down not only the mansion but the old school building as well and constructed a new school.
The Quincy Daily Herald stated that at the time of its construction the Browning Mansion was “the most pretentious residence in the entire city.” It served as the primary home of Orville and Eliza Browning for most of their time in the Gem City and was the scene of many momentous visits, fabulous parties, gatherings, and political meetings. It was considered one of the grandest buildings ever constructed in the city. Regrettably, it was lost to a devastating winter fire coupled with a lack of imagination of city and church leaders who saw the “Old Browning Mansion” as a tired, ancient symbol of the past. At that time, the 20th Century was in its nascency, and saving an historic building was not seriously considered. The Quincy Conservatory of Music was able to continue after the 1904 fire, but the “Old Browning Mansion” was lost forever.
Sources
“Fifty Years Ago Today.” Quincy Daily Journal, October 13, 1908, 5.
“Historic Building Is Ruined.” Quincy Daily Journal, January 4, 1904, 8.
“Was The Home Of Browning.” Quincy Daily Herald, January 4, 1904, 5.
