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Author Archives: SCblogger
Found it in the Archives!
Imagine….. A donor brings historic documents, written in French, to the Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center at the Davenport Public Library that were passed down through the family. Having no sentimental ties to the brittle, fragile papers, they bring them to … Continue reading
The Early Bird Gets the Moonshine
Oh, there was always something going on in Scott County, Iowa, in the roaring twenties, from dance marathons to gangsters. At times, the place seemed more like Chicago than a collection of small towns surrounded by farms. Looking back to January … Continue reading
Posted in Local History
Tagged Moonshine, Mr. Alger, Mr. Hilson, Peter Bein, Prohibition, Raids, Sponge Squad
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Davenporter of Note: Bailey Davenport
January 9th was the 123rd anniversary of the death of Bailey Davenport, the second son of Col. George Davenport. And although he didn’t live in Davenport for a good portion of his life, we think the title of this blog … Continue reading
Our “Special” visitors for 2012
Update: We had a visitor on the last week of the year from Christchurch, New Zealand! That is quite a long way away! _____________________________________________________________________________ In 2012, genealogists and history researchers came from all over the country (and the world!) to … Continue reading
A Brief, More-or-less Musical Interlude
Our staff here at the Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center celebrate the winter holidays each year by exchanging cards, going out to dinner, mailing cards to our wonderful volunteers, and, in one unfortunate case, writing new lyrics to an old holiday song. Here … Continue reading
Posted in Library
Tagged Holidays, Music, Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center
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Library Closings Ahead!
The Davenport Library System will be closed the following days: December 23, 24, and 25 and December 30-31 and January 1 Otherwise, barring inclement weather, we will be open our regular hours. Happy Holidays!!
The Stockmen’s Savings Bank Heist: Part II
Part I of the Heist is here. ________ It was late morning on Thursday, December 15, 1921, that Harry Hamilton and Roy Purple of Davenport put their plan of becoming bank robbers into action. The Daily Times and The Davenport … Continue reading
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
Posted in Local History
Tagged Bank Heist, Bank Robbers, Harry Hamilton, Iowa, John Looney, Long Grove, R. K. Brownlie, Rock Island News, Roy Purpell, Roy Purple, Stockmens Savings Bank
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Library Closed Wednesday for Renovations!
The Main Library (and our Center, too) will be closed for renovations on Wednesday, December 12. We will reopen at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, December 13. Our Fairmount and Eastern Avenue branches will be open their regular hours, so if … Continue reading
A Holiday Gift for Mr. LeClaire
So what do you buy yourself for the holidays when you own nearly the whole town? While that is a question few of us will ever have to ponder, it was probably a yearly dilemma for Antoine LeClaire by the mid-nineteenth … Continue reading
Posted in Local History
Tagged Antoine LeClaire, LeClaire House, Marguerite LeClaire
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