Alpheus Quicy - Wikiwand

Alpheus Quicy (1774–1875) was an American stonemason who built a number of houses and other buildings in Connecticut.

Quicy, whose surname is sometimes misspelled as "Quincy," was a free Black man. He is credited with building various structures around Connecticut in the 1800s, including at least two stone houses in Manchester, Connecticut −- the Trebbe house on East Center Street ^[1] and the Walter Bunce house on Bidwell Street ^[2] − and portions of the Collins Axe Company factory buildings in Canton, Connecticut.^[3] The Bunce House, the only private home built by Quicy that is still known to be standing, is part of the Connecticut Freedom Trail.^[4]^[5]

Quicy and his wife, Joanna, are buried in West Cemetery in Manchester, Connecticut.^[6]

Gallery

Walter Bunce House, Manchester, Connecticut (built by Alpheus Quicy circa 1821-1830)
Walter Bunce House (side view)
Collins Axe Company factory
Stonework exterior of Collins Axe Company factory
Quicy's headstone, Manchester, Connecticut

References

[1]
"SO. MANCHESTER LANDMARK: Trebbe House Being Torn Down". The Hartford Courant. Nov 14, 1903. p. 17. ProQuest 555180338. Retrieved 18 June 2021. The house is of stone and was built about seventy-five years ago by a negro whose name was Quicy, a stone mason, and also one of the first free colored men in this part of the country.
[2]
Machado, Helen (Nov 1, 1995). "Group says seven sites threatened: Manchester house included on preservation trust's list". The Hartford Courant. pp. B1–B2. ProQuest 2452804219. Retrieved 18 June 2021. The Walter Bunce House is not important for the people who lived there, but for its builder. The stone house is the only known surviving work of Alpheus Quicy, a black stonemason who was born in Windham in 1774.
[3]
Grant, Ellsworth (March 3, 1986). "Factories Gave Birth to State's 'Villes'". The Hartford Courant. p. 11. ProQuest 899867926. Retrieved 18 June 2021. ...when commencing his first two-story factory, [Samuel Collins] hired two blacks, the Quicy brothers, who quarried all the stone and laid foundations and walls for several years, in company with "a stout gang of good stead black men."
[4]
Branciforte, Anthony (February 22, 2020). "A trail tracing African Americans' progress: Effort to chronicle history inspired by Amistad trials". The Journal Inquirer. No. Updated June 15, 2021. Retrieved June 18, 2021. In Manchester, the Walter Bunce House, a large stone home located near Manchester Community College, is one of a few buildings in New England that is recognized as being constructed by an African-American, according to the Amistad Committee. Born in 1774, Alpheus Quincy [sic], a stonemason who built many homes and dams in town, is credited as the home's builder.
[5]
Kanehl, Bob (December 6, 2019). "YOUR MANCHESTER: Both slavery and Underground Railroad are part of Manchester history". The Journal Inquirer. No. Updated June 15, 2021. Retrieved June 18, 2021. Another Manchester site mentioned on the Freedom Trail is the Walter Bunce House on Bidwell Street. Alpheus Quincy [sic], a freeman, constructed this large stone home. The information presented states that Quincy built similar fieldstone buildings around the area, but this house is one of the few dwellings still standing.
[6]
"Alpheus Quicy". Find A Grave. Retrieved June 19, 2021.

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