Discreet Biohazard Cleanup Near Downtown Payson Payson, IL

Payson is a village in Adams County, Illinois, that was laid out in the spring of 1835.

Payson became famous during the 1860 presidential campaign, when residents raised a pole hung with banners for Democrat Stephen A. Douglas and an effigy of Abraham Lincoln riding a rail.

The pole sparked two confrontations with the Quincy Wide Awakes, a Republican paramilitary group, on August 25-26, 1860, and shots were fired at the Wide Awakes in the second clash, causing injuries; the episode was connected to the 'Stone's Prairie Riot' at nearby Plainville.

Payson was incorporated on June 29, 1903, and it is part of the Quincy, Illinois-Missouri Micropolitan Statistical Area.

At the 2020 census Payson had 1,025 residents in 375 households, with 407 housing units.

Payson is a notably young community - its median age at the 2020 census was 34.4 years, and 29.7% of residents were under the age of 18.

The village counted 465 residents in 1900 and hovered near 500 through 1960 before jumping 80.8% by 1980 to 1,065, peaking at 1,114 in 1990.

Payson's median household income was $62,813 at the 2020 census.

Local students attend Payson-Seymour Elementary School and Payson-Seymour High School in Payson Community Unit School District 1.

Payson natives include Civil War Medal of Honor recipient Moses A. Luce, educator and chemist Mary Frances Leach, medical missionary Anna Kay Scott, and Major League Baseball pitcher Ralph Works.