Quincy Senior High School is the regional public high school for Quincy, Illinois. It is the largest high school in Adams County, Illinois, and the only high school in Quincy Public School District 172. As of 2020, it is the 17th largest high school in Illinois by enrollment outside of Chicago. History Early Years (1864 - 1892) Quincy High School was first established in September 1864 in the old Unitarian Church building at Sixth and Jersey streets, in what was then known as the Center School building. In 1866, the High School was transferred to the Jackson School building at 8th and Vine (now College) Street. From there it was transferred to the top floor of the Franklin School on 5th Street between York and Kentucky, where it remained until plans were made for a dedicated high school. The Franklin School was destroyed by a fire in February of 1905. First High School (1892 - 1933) The first school dedicated to high school in Quincy, Illinois began construction in 1891 at the corner of 12th and Maine. The building was designed by local architect, Harvey Chatten, designer of the city hall at 3rd and Hampshire, and the Newcomb Mansion. The dedication ceremony was held on June 17, 1892. An addition was completed in 1905-1906. This "Pride of the Gem City" served students as Quincy's population continued to grow and secondary school enrollment increased dramatically. Superintendent Charles M. Gill first proposed building a new state of the art high school in the Quincy Daily Whig on New Years Eve, 1916, announcing: "It is time to plan for it a new home that will foster a love for the school... for a better preparation to be better neighbors, better citizens, more successful and happier workers, better leaders, and better followers." Second High School (1933 - 1957) The site for the new school building at 14th between Maine and Jersey was selected in March 1921. The necessity of a new high school intensified through the 1920s, as the school board, Chamber of Commerce, and Rotary Club worked to secure funding and public favor. Chicago architect John D. Chubb was selected to design the building. By 1929, the price for the new building was estimated at $1,300,000, $800,000 over the $500,000 authorized by the board. Construction was delayed to allow time to collect tax revenue. The cornerstone for the second high school was laid