Tag Archives: Iowa

One-Way Question, Multi-Directional Answer

Weren’t Third  and Fourth streets in Davenport always one-way streets? And if not, when did they change from two-way to one-way traffic? These were the questions being asked for the last couple of weeks, ever since the Davenport City Council … Continue reading

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The Stockmen’s Savings Bank Heist: Part I

December 1921 was not looking to be a merry holiday for many people in Davenport and Scott County. The country was struggling to get out of a sharp recession that had begun in 1920. Times were tough and jobs were … Continue reading

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Cool Resource: Widows’ Pension Records

One hundred years ago, there weren’t a lot of options for widowed mothers who needed help caring for their children. In Iowa and parts of Illinois, if a judge felt that the mother could not provide for her family, the … Continue reading

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Just Shelved: Regiments and Other Interesting People

The Scott County Genealogy Society has added several new items to the Special Collections Center this month.  We’ve been trying to acquire at least one history of each Iowa Volunteer Regiment, and these three books are welcome additions to our … Continue reading

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More Tales of the Census: Special Schedules

Population was not the only information the United States government was interested in collecting during the decennial federal censuses. Non-population questions were equally important – and for we historians equally interesting! Over the years, these censuses included mortality, social statistics … Continue reading

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The Free and Independent State of Scott

As has been said before here, Davenport was the home to many breweries and saloons in the mid-1800s.  This wasn’t a problem during the Civil War, when those of a teetotal inclination had other things to worry about.  But once … Continue reading

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Racing the Fire: A Close Call for Davenport

“The district where the destruction was complete and which this morning is an area of smoking heap of charred embers is about a third of a mile square and can best be seen from the grounds of St. Katherine’s Hall … Continue reading

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KSTT: “Someplace Special”

On July 7, 1946 the radio waves of the Quad Cities changed forever when KSTT went on the air for the first time with a one hour introductory program.  No one knew this dawn to dusk operation would soon become … Continue reading

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Ding, ding, ding, went the Trolleys . . .

In our Special Collections Center, we have hanging on our wall an enormous double photograph showing the southern view from the corner of Third Street and Brady in 1938 and in 1952. The two photographs, separated by only 14 years, … Continue reading

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Socialists and Swimming Pools

Most people find the building of a swimming pool to be an exciting time; waiting for the project to be completed and the weather warm enough to swim in the clear water. Today, Davenport has many city and private pools … Continue reading

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