Author Archives: SCblogger

Skeletons in your Closet?

As Autumn descends on our fair city, temperatures drop, trees turn their leaves, squirrels gather acorns and other goodies for their long winter naps, and even our houses settle in for the coming Winter.  Older houses, of which Davenport has … Continue reading

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Happy Anniversary to the Library of Tomorrow!

If you are a regular reader of this blog you know that we use it to share snippets of local history.  We hope you’ll forgive us if we take the opportunity this week to share some brief history of a … Continue reading

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St. Katharine’s\St. Mark’s — A *Davenport* Tradition

Tomorrow is the anniversary of Rivermont Collegiate, that fine private school that, although it has spent the last few decades in Bettendorf, owes far more of its 124 years of history to Davenport. It all began with Griswold College, which … Continue reading

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Happy Anniverary, Chiropractic!

As we in the Quad-Cities finish cleaning up after this summer of high waters and strong winds, many of us will have cause to be grateful for the Palmer College of Chiropractic and their dedicated graduates who have kept our … Continue reading

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Announcing the Quad-Cities Civil War Legacy Conference!

Have you ever wondered about the part the Quad Cities played in the Civil War? If not, you really should be wondering. It is an absolutely fascinating subject! To help explore this subject more deeply the Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center … Continue reading

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“A Monster Parade”: Davenport’s First Labor Day

“Attempts to count the procession were futile. There was so much to see and admire that all counts failed . . . It is estimated that there were close upon 5,000 men. It was a monster parade.” Davenport Democrat, September … Continue reading

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Labor Day Closing

Our library will be closed this Monday, September 1,  for Labor Day. If you were planing a Labor Day weekend trip to see us, we will be open Saturday, August 30 for your researching pleasure.  You could spend the next two days … Continue reading

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A Public Service Announcement: Iowa Vital Records, 1920-1941

From the early 1920s to the early 1940s, many were born, got married, or died in every county in Iowa. Unfortunately, the county courthouses—and the public libraries, like ours, that archive microfilmed copies of county documents– won’t have many records of … Continue reading

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An 1858 Job Review?

Reading through original receipts and requests in the City of Davenport Council Papers 1859 – 1862, we came across an interesting bill submitted by City Marshal John Bechtel for the December 2, 1858 council meeting. This bill left us scratching … Continue reading

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Dreams of Olympics Past–Victor Hopkins

Victor Hopkins was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on July 19, 1904 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, by a single mother and was adopted at a very young age by Mr. and Mrs. Jakob Hopkins, an older couple who died when … Continue reading

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