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Author Archives: SCblogger
A Davenport Connection: The Early Life of ‘Big Nose Kate’ Horony – Part II
On September 5, 1860 the steamship Bremen set sail from Southampton, England heading for New York City. Originating from the port of Bremen, Germany the ship contained hundreds of individuals headed to the United States. Among those on board were … Continue reading
Davenport Inventors: Patently the Best
Davenport has had its share of inventors over the years, including Alexander F. Victor, who held almost eighty patents for his film projecting equipment; William Voss, whose washing machines brought laundry to a whole new level, and Otto F. Rohwedder;* … Continue reading
Truth in Advertising: The Last Giraffe
The Ringing Brothers Circus, with or without Barnum & Bailey, has been a Davenport tradition for more than a century. These famous brothers were the sons of August Ringling, a harness maker born in Hanover, and his wife Salome, … Continue reading
Posted in Genealogy, Local History
Tagged Circus, Davenport (Iowa), Giraffe, Ringling Brothers, Truth in advertising
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Happy 175th Birthday, Davenport!
The year 2011 marks the 175th anniversary of the founding of Sofa City – that’s right! In February of 1836 the official “Articles of Agreement” were drawn up, land was purchased from Antoine LeClaire, and a town was platted in … Continue reading
Posted in Local History
Tagged 175th Anniversary, Antoine LeClaire, Davenport, Local History, William F. Skiles
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In Memoriam: Alice Richardson Sloane
“Preservation and access of historical records will provide the key ingredient for success in the future for those who are able and take advantage of the lessons of life from the past. This knowledge and understanding of truth about our … Continue reading
Just Shelved: People, Places, Planes, and More!
We’ve added many new resources to our collections recently! Some of these were budgeted, some were donated, and some are courtesy of the Scott County Iowa Genealogy Society: People: Man of Deeds: Bishop Mathias Loras and the Iowa Frontier by … Continue reading
Posted in Genealogy, Library, Local History
Tagged Genealogy, Just Shelved, Local History, New Books, new resources
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Specifically for Seniors: Your Family Tree — Finding Your Roots
Love of the past implies faith in the future. – Stephen Ambrose, 1936-2002 Specifically for Seniors Programs are held on the last Wednesday of each month through November, at 1:00 p.m. at the Fairmount Branch Library. This month, the program … Continue reading
Dog days of summer
The month of August is commonly referred to as “the dog days of summer”, so we at Special Collections thought we would share some of our favorite “dog” images from the Hostetler photograph collection. The first set of pictures were … Continue reading
Posted in Local History
Tagged bulldog, Children, collie, Curtis (family name), Dogs, Grates (family name), Hostetler Studios, Irma Kohn, jack russell terrier, Katherine Peek, Pets, Portraits, wolfhound
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Just Shelved: Local Authors
It appears to be a well-kept secret that our Special Collections Center archives the work of local authors from Octave Thanet to Dick Stahl. The most current additions to our local author shelves include: Complicated Weather Poems by Ryan Collins, … Continue reading
Heat Wave: 1901
“Fair tonight and Wednesday continued warm”* A prosaic statement for sure, but warm failed to describe the conditions being dealt with by local individuals during the last two weeks of July 1901. Drought, heat and humidity controlled our area, and … Continue reading
