South Side German Historic District

About this property

The South Side German Historic District is a neighborhood within Quincy, Illinois, United States just south of downtown. The neighborhood includes most of Quincy's rich German architecture. The region is also widely known as "Calftown", named for the number of calves once owned by its inhabitants. It was added into the National Register of Historic Places in 1992 with a boundary increase in 1995. In 1857, three brothers; Matthew, John, and Jacob, founded the Dick Brothers Brewery. At one time, 70,000 barrels of brew would be produced and shipped around the Midwest, making Dick Bros. one of the largest beer brands in the country of the early 20th Century. The company's operations were once even larger than Anheuser-Busch in St. Louis. Prohibition and World War II brought much hardship to the brewery, and the brand declared bankruptcy in 1951. The property was also auctioned off. Today, the building remains as a regional landmark and numerous renovation projects have been started to revitalize the building, including the introduction of a fine art studio. There have even been projects attempting to revive the Dick Brothers brand. In 1835, Dr. Richard Eells built his house, which now is part of both the Downtown Quincy Historic District and the South Side German Historic District. Eells was an outspoken abolitionist in his community, offering runaway slaves shelter on their way north. He was found guilty of harboring fugitive slaves in 1842, and his trial was heard by Judge Stephen A. Douglas, of the Lincoln-Douglas debate fame. Following his arrest and trial, he became President of the Illinois Anti-Slavery Party and unsuccessfully ran for the Liberty Party's nomination in the 1844 US presidential election. Today, the home of Dr. Richard Eells has been restored and is maintained by the local organization Friends of Dr. Richard Eells House. They provide tours of the historic house on an appointment basis. The Eighth Street Business District (pictured) forms the heart of the South Side German Historic District, and many notable features are along or nearby this interchange including the State Street Theater, Gem City College, and the Salem Evangelical Church. Gem City College is a school that specializes in horology and cosmetology. LaGondola has moved to a new location at 12th and Jefferson. The Quincy Library serves much of the area's literature needs. It is built with a modern design, not a German-influenced one like much of the neighborhood's culture, however the site has become a city landmark regardless. As of 2011, the Library has begun an expansion providing a larger children's and teen section, as well as added more conference spaces for events.

Location

Categories

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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