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Author Archives: SCblogger
Interactive Map: Davenport’s Early Black Community
One of our favorite resources is accession 2004-67: African American residential patterns in Davenport, Iowa. Compiled by Craig R. Klein of Scott Community College, the collection consists of photocopied maps showing African American residential patterns in Davenport, Iowa in 1867, … Continue reading
St. Elizabeth’s Fire: Nurse Anna Neal
January 7th marked 73 years since the tragic St. Elizabeth’s fire occurred in Davenport, Iowa. A fire that not only changed safety standards locally but throughout the entire United States. Forty female patients and one nurse perished that freezing cold … Continue reading
Posted in Local History
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Armenian Refugees in Scott County
In the news a century ago this January was the question of admitting survivors of the Armenian genocide into the United States. [1] These articles beg the question: Were there Armenian immigrants who settled in Davenport and Scott County in … Continue reading
In Memoriam: Geraldine “Gerri” Bowers
On Christmas eve, we lost a dear friend, volunteer, colleague, and supporter, Gerri Bowers. We are deeply saddened by this loss, which will be felt by us at the Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center and across our community. She was involved … Continue reading
Posted in Local History
Tagged Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Festival, Davenport, Davenport Public Library, Genealogy, Iowa, obituaries
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A Little Special Collections Poem for Gift Ideas
Special Collections is here to help with some last-minute gift ideas! For the ladies in your life, handy home tools might be a hit. But, something more personal might be a better fit. Teens are tough, but technology is good! … Continue reading
Posted in Local History
Tagged Advertisements, Advertising, Davenport (Iowa), newspapers
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‘Twas the night before Christmas at The Davenport Club
While looking for holiday items in the archives we found this festive poem in our ephemera files. It was written in December 1957 for members of The Davenport Club, a social organization active between 1945-1993. The poem starts with the … Continue reading
Posted in Local History
Tagged Blackhawk Hotel, clubs, Davenport Chamber of Commerce, Davenport Club, Restaurants
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At the PERSI of the ACPL Genealogy Center
The Allen County (Indiana) Public Library’s Genealogy Center is rich in resources for the family historian, not the least of which is the Periodical Source Index (PERSI) maintained by its staff. It is a subject index to articles on local … Continue reading
Posted in Genealogy, Local History
Tagged ACPL Genealogy Center, Genealogical research, PERSI, Scott County Iowan
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A Little Chrysanthemum Magic: Vander Veer Park Style
Recently we came across this picture from the November 30, 1929, Daily Times newspaper. We can only imagine how much fun it was to have cold enough weather to freeze the lagoon at Vander Veer Park that early in the … Continue reading
Happy Thanksgiving! Another serving of Turkey Notes, please!
‘Tis the time of the year to warm our fingers, loosen our tongues and sharpen our minds to craft a delightful turkey note. Turkey notes are an annual tradition in the Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center. Like many activities observed and … Continue reading
Posted in Local History
Tagged poems, Poetry, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Day, Thanksgiving Traditions, Turkey, Turkey Notes
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The Story of John S. Sandstrom
It was November 2014, and I was investigating documents in one of our manuscript collections, #X-09, that was described as having documents pertaining to building the Poor House in 1883. Among the documents was a petition signed by 38 people … Continue reading
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