Have you ever been curious about the Annie Wittenmyer Complex (the former Iowa Soldiers’ Orphans’ Home) on Eastern Avenue in Davenport?
This coming Tuesday, June 5, 2018, at 4:30 p.m., the Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center of the Daveport Public Library will present the program “Investigate the Past: the Annie Wittenmyer Complex” at our Main Street location.
Join us as we examine memoirs, newspaper articles, photographs, architectural drawings, and other sources that tell the story of this fascinating local institution.
Over the years, our blog has covered different aspects of the historic Annie Wittenmyer Complex, including these posts:
What’s in a Name? The Annie Wittenmyer Home – November 15, 2012
A New (Old) Look at the Iowa Soldiers’ Orphans’ Home – January 9, 2014
The Mystery of the Orphans’ Monument – May 22, 2014
Build A Better Davenport: The Iowa Soldiers’ Orphans’ Home 1865–1975 – June 23, 2017
40 Years Ago: The Annie Wittenmyer Branch of the Davenport Public Library – April 13, 2018
…but this event will be a rare opportunity to learn the overall history of the property from before it became the Iowa Soldiers’ Orphans’ Home to after the Annie Wittenmyer facility’s closing in 1974.
This early image of the Complex is among the many interesting items featured in our program:
View at the Orphans’ Home, Davenport, Iowa. Evans’ Western View Collection – Image 135. c. late 1860s
We look forward to sharing them all with you on Tuesday afternoon!
(posted by Amy D.)
