Follow us on Instagram!
Author Archives: SCblogger
What’s in a Name?
The city of Davenport was named after Colonel George Davenport. This is fairly well known—at least to most residents of the Quad-Cities—although every once in a while, we still receive a question concerning the invention and manufacturing of long, squared-off … Continue reading
Posted in Local History
Tagged Antoine LeClaire, Davenport, George Davenport, Iowa, Local History
Leave a comment
New Old Stuff, Old New Stuff!
New to the Special Collections Center’s Iowa vital records microfilm cabinet is Lee County. Thirty-five rolls of births, delayed births, deaths, marriages and even a few naturalizations are ready for use the next time you come in. Lee County is … Continue reading
Posted in Genealogy
Tagged county records, Davenport, Genealogy, Iowa, new resources
Leave a comment
Happy Birthday, Davenport!!
On this day in 1836, the City of Davenport was platted and named. In order to understand the weight of history behind that simple sentence, one would have to look back at least to the treaty, signed on September 21, 1832, … Continue reading
Posted in Local History
Tagged Antoine LeClaire, Black Hawk War, Davenport, Iowa, Local History, Maps
2 Comments
Just Shelved: Family Histories
Because our Center can’t purchase every family history available, and because some family histories are beyond the reach of the usual library selection resources, we rely on donations—and the Scott County Genealogy Society—to keep our collection of nine-twenty-nine-point twos* thriving. … Continue reading
We’re Number One: Davenport Firsts
We felt like bragging this week, so we’ve brought out a brief list of some of the statewide or national things that happened first in Davenport. In rough chronological order: The first locomotive in Iowa was delivered in Davenport on … Continue reading
From the Archives: The Masquers
A recent addition to our Archive & Manuscript collection has brought to the forefront visions of Davenport drama and theater clubs. Davenport’s Friendly House was an early supporter of this creative outlet, first providing the venue for the “Friendly House … Continue reading
Posted in Local History
Tagged Davenport, Drama Clubs, Friendly House, Friendly House Players, Iowa, Local History, Lois Murphy, The Masquers, Theater Clubs
Leave a comment
We Salute Our Volunteers!
Yesterday, the Davenport Public Library gave a reception to thank library volunteers for all that they do. Those volunteers who could attend included many of the wonderful people who help our Special Collections Center . What do Special Collections … Continue reading
The Fire Fighting Advance that Wasn’t
In 1899, Davenport was a growing city. This concerned those responsible for public safety, not only because the city was growing out, but because it was growing up. From a fire department’s point of view, higher buildings mean higher fires—and in … Continue reading
Posted in Local History
Tagged Davenport, Davenport Fire Department, Grain Elevators, Iowa, Local History, Peter M. Gilloley
2 Comments
Mission Accomplished: Census Mortality Schedules
A few weeks ago, we mentioned the addition of two new indexes to our collection of searchable databases. One of these was the Mortality Schedules for Scott County, Iowa. Mortality Schedules are the section of each Federal Census that provides … Continue reading
Guilty Pleasures: Genealogy Blogs
Blogging is huge right now, and genealogy blogs are booming. Although our little blog hasn’t made one of these lists yet, some very thought provoking ones have. So next time you have a few minutes, you may want to do … Continue reading
