Quincy

We had another great PDay activity going to Quincy Illinois. I have to admit I didn’t know a lot about Quincy’s connection to the early saints but it is quite an inspiring story. When the saints were driven out of Missouri by mob violence in the winter of 1839 they reached the banks of the Mississippi River destitute and exhausted. They crossed the ice clogged river in canoes, small skiffs, ferries, and on foot when it froze all the way across. Emma walked across carrying two children with two others clinging to her skirts which were lined with pockets holding manuscripts of Joseph’s. He was still in prison in Liberty Jail. The good people of Quincy (population of about 1600) rescued and took in about 5000 saints. It was truly a “city of refuge”.  We went through the museum and the big beautiful home of the mayor John Wood who encouraged his city to treat the persecuted Mormons with compassion and generosity. The home was built in 1835,  same year as the log cabin which shows the range of homes people lived in at that time.