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Author Archives: SCblogger
Connections & Canals – Hansens & the Hennepin
What did you do on Thanksgiving? Attend family feasts? Watch football? Nap? Well, in 1894 on Thanksgiving Day, about 50 business men involved with the Davenport Business Man’s Association boarded a special passenger train at the C.R.I. & P. depot … Continue reading
A Grand Opening
A noon day parade. Flowers sent from the garden of movie star Ginger Rogers. Big executives in town. Search lights across the sky . An American Legion band furnishing a musical background. What was happening?? Why, everyone was getting ready … Continue reading
Turkey Notes
Ladies and Gentlemen, it’s Turkey Note time! What on earth, you may ask, are Turkey Notes? Turkey Notes are a Davenport Thanksgiving tradition full of mystery and glamour and fairly bad poetry. They are said to have been around for … Continue reading
Posted in Local History
Tagged Davenport, Holidays, Iowa, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Traditions, Turkey Notes
24 Comments
Davenport’s Great White Way – The Lighting of Brady Street
Brady Street circa 1914 There has been some press in the last year regarding a need for revitalization of Davenport’s Brady Street. Perhaps a look back in time might encourage those who are attempting to create positive change for the … Continue reading
A Soldier’s Letter Answered
Approximately 76,237 Iowa men fought in the Union Army during the Civil War. Of these men, 13,589 did not survive the war, and many others were in no condition to support their families. Annie Wittenmyer, Iowa’s first female Sanitation Agent, … Continue reading
Posted in Local History
Tagged Annie Wittenmyer Home, Civil War, Davenport, Iowa, Iowa Soldiers' Orphans' Home, Local History, Orphanages
3 Comments
A Moment to Remember – Armistice Day, 1918
Americans probably couldn’t be blamed if they were lacking in holiday spirit as October faded into November in 1918. Not only was the Spanish Influenza making its way through the Quad Cities*, but the Great War continued to rage in … Continue reading
Posted in Local History
Tagged Armistice, Armistice Day, Parade, Victory Celebration, World War One
2 Comments
Rumored Davenporter: Bert Leslie
There are several histories of Davenport in our collections, ranging from dry to folksy to not entirely reliable. Of these, Them were the Good old Days, written by William L. Purcell and published in 1922, is probably the most fun … Continue reading
A Frightful Anniversary
Autumn in the Midwest is usually a time of great beauty and activity. In Davenport the trees begin to glow red and yellow, orange pumpkins appear on doorsteps, and crops are brought in from the fields to provide food and … Continue reading
Posted in Local History
Tagged Health, Pandemic, Rock Island Arsenal, Spanish Influenza, World War One
3 Comments
The Orphans of Oakdale Cemetery
One of the most persistent local legends in Davenport centers on Oakdale Cemetery on Eastern Avenue. In this cemetery is a special section where children from the Iowa Solders’ Orphans’ Home*, standing just across Eastern Avenue, were buried. And it is said that if you … Continue reading
