Quincy, IL- The "Gem City" Preview

Let it be said that even before we begin this post- I love Quincy. So there you have it. This post might be biased.

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Quincy, IL is a Mississippi River town in Adams Co. Across the river you can see Missouri.

Spotted: Murray Iron Works Stamp

This well preserved Murray Iron Works stamp is on a building facade in Roseville, IL.

The metal piece itself came from the Burlington, IA branch of Murray Iron Works, which is now known as Dresser-Rand Co. The company has been in Burlington since 1870.1

Abingdon, IL- The Trailer

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Abingdon will always hold a special place in my heart. For D and I, Abingdon is our midwestern Pompeii. It's the sort of place that within the decaying dreams and desperation of the historic downtown, there's an unmistakable beauty. It's really where AbandonedHG started, on a cold winter day we found ourselves in downtown Abingdon taking pictures and documenting what has become all too common everywhere in the midwest. I have had an extremely hard time writing this post. After all my grandiose statements, I just can't figure out what to say. So I'm telling myself as I write this, come on it's just Abingdon... the place is falling down, silly.

A word about format...

We are about to start our study, if you will, of the decaying little (maybe not so little) towns (maybe not even towns) of the midwest. After much contemplating and discussion, D and I have decided to follow the following format for these vignettes.

The Trailer: First, we will introduce you to the town. It might be brief, it might be long. We'll see and it will depend on the place. Consider it a teaser if you must. But don't worry, unlike most trailers these won't use up all the good scenes.

The Movie: This will be where we really go into detail. As much history as I care to dig up (I'm an archaeologist at heart. It'll be lengthy!) More pictures. Details, details, details!!!

The Sequels: I'm not a huge fan of updating old posts. I never remember to go back and check old posts. Not that I'm criticizing anybody that does, but on our blog I just don't want to confuse what I wrote before and what I know now. We want the most current information to be the most recent on the blog. So sequels are essentially updates on towns we've already talked about. Both from my reader and my author viewpoint, this is better. Trust me.

The Attractions: If a town has something that's just so cool it deserves its own post, then its an attraction. Or if something's not in a town.

Get ready, it's all coming soon.

Spotted: Central Iron Works Stamp

Central Iron Works is an apparently defunct company in Quincy, ILL. This stamp was spotted on a building in Good Hope, IL.