08/16/2026
Our friends at the Monmouth Old Home Association - MOHA are hosting their next meeting at 6:30 p.m. on August 18 at the beautiful Quinby House located on the corner of East Euclid Avenue and 6th Street. This is a free event and open to the public.
Tuesday, August 18th at 6:30 the Monmouth Old Home Association will be meeting at the Monmouth College presidents’ home, The Ivory Quinby Home. If you love and appreciate older homes, you are cordially invited to join us.
Designed by noted Chicago architect John C. Cochrane. the home was constructed for Judge Ivory Quinby (1817–1869), a prominent local citizen, early benefactor, and charter trustee of Monmouth College. He was also a pivotal figure in establishing Monmouth as a 19th-century transit hub by routing the Peoria and Oquawka Railroad through the area.
In its time, the house featured high-end Victorian amenities, including a speaking-tube communication system, a working gas-line dining chandelier, and an original wall-to-wall Brussels carpet.
The Quinby family owned and occupied the estate for nearly a century. In 1965, the family deeded the property to Monmouth College. Today, it serves as the official private residence for the President of Monmouth College.
When Ivory Quinby III deeded the home to Monmouth College in 1965, a strict clause required the house to be razed if left vacant for more than two years. By 1996, the home had become heavily run-down and unlivable, triggering the race to restore it before it was lost forever.
The restoration preserved the highly unique elements that earned the home its spot on the National Register of Historic Places:
Workers completely replaced the original steam heating system, rewired the mansion, and upgraded core utilities. While windows had to be completely replaced due to decay, artisans meticulously saved and reinstalled many of the original 1867 glass panes. Retained were the working exterior shutters on the arched, dramatic windows, the original matching wash house and barn outbuildings on the grounds, the deep Victorian structural details, including high ceilings and the massive 1890s two-story front porch addition.
For a more detailed account of the Ivory Quinby Home check out Jeff Rankins Medium article at https://jeffrankin.medium.com/recording-preserves-memories-of-family-life-in-monmouth-colleges-quinby-house-4782060b0753
