Quincy’s only school for Black students remembered during Thursday plaque dedication

QUINCY — A historical plaque was unveiled Thursday morning at the former Lincoln School building on the corner of 10th and Spring in an event coordinated by Blessing Health System in collaboration with the Adams County Bicentennial Commission.

Lincoln was Quincy’s only school dedicated to Black students, and the building was later sold to Blessing Hospital. Former Quincy mayor Chuck Scholz, chair of the Adams County Bicentennial Committee, spoke at the unveiling, sharing the committee’s goal to “Educate, Celebrate and Commemorate.” 

“We have a history of segregation and racism in Quincy,” Scholz said. 

Park Board President Mark Philpot, who works for Blessing Health System, noted that Lincoln School is “an important part of Quincy history, one that most people aren’t really aware of.” 

About 40 people attended the plaque unveiling on Thursday morning. Speeches were given by Patrick Gerveler, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Blessing Hospital, Rev. Carl Terry of Bethel AME Church, Philpot and Scholz.

The first school on the property was built in 1869. According to research by the Historical Society of Quincy and Adams County, the building was in terrible shape by 19109, and many Black students attended other schools.

A debate ensued over whether or not Lincoln should be rebuilt. Some parents believed that necessary repairs to Lincoln were ignored so the schools would integrate. Others thought it was better to improve Lincoln so the Black students would leave the other schools. Some parents argued that Black students were holding the classes back. Others thought it would be better for their Black children to be taught by Black teachers. 

Eventually, a motion to rebuild Lincoln School passed, 581 votes to 450. When the new building opened in September 1920, it was the most modern school in the district. When Ebony magazine sent a photographer to document the rough conditions of Black schools in Illinois, Lincoln School could not be used as an example. 

The Quincy School Board extended Lincoln’s boundaries to include more Black students. However, parents of Lincoln children complained that the school was too far from home and their children had to walk past other schools on their way to class. The School Board tried to handle this complaint by announcing that students could apply to transfer schools, admittedly on a case-by-case basis. 

The Historical Society of Quincy and Adams County website said the Quincy Public School system “did not enforce segregation as total school district policy.” However, after the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision, state-sanctioned segregation of public schools was considered unlawful. That included Lincoln School. 

Lincoln School was sold in August 1957 and later purchased by Blessing Hospital. The second floor was removed, and the building was converted into a boiler room. The original brickwork and Lincoln School name still adorn the front of the building. 

Gerveler said that because the building has been part of Blessing Hospital’s history for 65 years, “we thought it a great time to commemorate the lives of students who attended Lincoln School.”

Annie C. Reller is a Seattle native and a recent Stanford graduate serving as an intern for Muddy River News this spring.