Author Archives: SCblogger

Davenporters of Note: Samuel Francis Smith

  Son of the highly respected man who composed the   lyrics to “America”; one time Mayor of Davenport,   charter member of Davenport National Bank,   organizer, director and attorney for Union Savings   Bank; president of the Iowa Bankers’ Association; … Continue reading

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Feeling a Little “Bugged”: Part IV

 (Part I may be found here; Part II may be found here; Part III is here) When last we left our less-than-happy band of Socialist politicians; the conservative socialists were worried about radicals taking over not only the Socialist Party, but also the … Continue reading

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Feeling a Little “Bugged”: Part III

 (Part I may be found here; Part II may be found here, Part IV may be found here) Last we read, Socialist City Electrician Harry Strong was being fingerprinted and questioned by Police Chief Charles Boettcher in Mayor Charles Barewald’s office in connection … Continue reading

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Feeling a Little “Bugged”: Part II

(Part I may be found here, Part III may be found here, Part IV may be found here ) By January 1921, Davenporters were probably questioning the success of their first (and, so far, last) Socialist majority city council which had taken office … Continue reading

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A Capitol (Theatre) Idea

There has been much in the local news of late regarding the Capitol Theatre, which opened December 25, 1920, and which will be closing in a few months. We thought we’d take the opportunity to share the history of this … Continue reading

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Feeling a Little “Bugged”: Part I

Sometimes we (maybe it is just me, but I feel better imagining this happens to my co-workers too) find ourselves distracted when doing research in Special Collections.  Just the other week I came across a little side paragraph in an old newspaper … Continue reading

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In Memoriam: Marion G. Crandell

Marion G. Crandell was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on April 25, 1872.  She went to school in Cedar Rapids and Omaha, and attended the Sorbonne University in Paris, before residing with her brother for a short time in Alameda, … Continue reading

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Kathryn Kirschbaum: First Woman Mayor of Davenport

Kathryn Kirschbaum was born August 30, 1931, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Frank and Esther (Kiplinger) Goll. She graduated from Denison College in Grandville, Ohio, in 1953 with a degree in “Citizenship”. She was First Lieutenant in the Army Medical Corps … Continue reading

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Davenporters of Note: Norma M. Wiese

Once upon the 1880s, in a beautiful brick Italian Villa at 709 Brown Street, lived William and Minnie Wiese, who were known for their love of travel, music, and community.   Their daughter Edna was born in 1887 with another, Norma, … Continue reading

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Beginning Genealogy Workshop!

Genealogy is very popular on TV this month. NBC is offering Who Do You Think You Are?, which features celebrities researching their family history and their family’s connections to historical events.   And  PBS just wrapped up its four-episode run of Faces … Continue reading

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