Editing Payson, Illinois (section)

== History ==
Payson was laid out in the Spring of 1835.<ref>[https://archive.today/20130201105155/http://history.rays-place.com/il/adams-payson.htm History of Payson, Illinois]</ref>

During the 1860 presidential campaign, the residents of Payson erected a pole on which they hung banners supporting the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] candidate, [[Stephen Douglas]], and an effigy of [[Abraham Lincoln]] riding a rail. This resulted in two confrontations with the [[Quincy, Illinois|Quincy]] [[Wide Awakes]], the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] paramilitary organization, on August 25–26, 1860. During the second confrontation, shots were fired at the Wide Awakes, resulting in injuries. This action was related to the "Stone's Prairie Riot" at nearby [[Plainville, Illinois|Plainville]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Nelson |first1=Iris A. |last2=Waggoner |first2=Walter S. |title=Sick, sore, and sorry: The Stone's Prairie Riot of 1860 |journal=Journal of Illinois History |date=April 30, 2002 |volume=5 |issue=1 |pages=19–32 |url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uiug.30112103936537?urlappend=%3Bseq=25%3Bownerid=13510798903771142-29 |access-date=April 30, 2025}}</ref>