The summit of McClellan Heights is graced by the home at 49 Hillcrest Avenue, photographed by J.B. Hostetler:
This view shows the rear of the house; the front and one side are visible in this image from the December 31, 1912 issue of the Daily Times (page 12):
Dr. Karl Vollmer built his house across the street from his mother Dorothea’s (built 1906, supposedly visible in the advertisement below) at 124 Hillcrest. The Vollmers were a prominent German-American family in Davenport; Karl was one of Dorothea and Henry Vollmer’s nine children. Karl’s father, an immigrant from Bremen, Germany, had worked for the Der Demokrat newspaper and later went into the printing business on his own; his brother Henry Jr. was the three-time mayor and a member of Congress; his brother Fred practiced law and served as County Attorney; and his brother Arthur had a career in the U.S. Army.
Karl himself was a successful ear, nose, and throat doctor who practiced in Davenport for fifty years. As civic-minded as his brothers, he served as president of the Scott County Medical Society and the local school board. [1] He resided at 49 Hillcrest with his wife Paula Koehler and son Karl until 1921, when they sold it to Fred and Wyman for $60,000. [2]
Fred Wyman was a leader in the lumber industry, first associated with the Lindsay & Phelps Company, later the Southern Lumber Company, the Sound Timber Company, and several others. He and his second wife, Margaret, were active members of the First Presbyterian Church in Davenport. [3]
Just a few more Hostetler Houses left! Stay tuned! As always, please share if you have further information to add to our knowledge of Davenport’s homes and buildings. And visit us at the Main Library for resources on the history of McClellan Heights and other developments in the city!
(posted by Katie)
[1] “Dr. Karl Vollmer, 78…” Daily Times, February 19, 1948, page 1.
[2] “Vollmer Home is purchased by Fred Wyman,” Daily Times, February 2, 1921, page 8.
[3] “Fred Wyman, 81…” Daily Times, July 27, 1939, page 1.
