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Category Archives: Local History
Davenport in the Digital Public Library of America
Would you like to explore the history of Davenport and Scott County but are unable to travel to our Special Collections Center to peruse our shelves and archives? With the dedicated work of the Digital Public Library of America and … Continue reading
Posted in Library, Local History
Tagged Davenport Public Library, Local History, Photographs, Resources
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The Cyclone Events of May 9th and 19th, 1918
May 9, 1918 had been a dreary day in Scott County, Iowa. Earlier in the day rain and hail had covered the area. Finally, in late afternoon the skies began to clear and a rainbow appeared. In the small agricultural … Continue reading
Posted in Local History
Tagged Amelia Priest, Baker's Horse, Bernhardt Hofsrud, Brice Johnson, Crystal Lake, Cyclone, Eldridge, Ella Schneckloth, Emma Dammann, Emma Hofsrud, Franklin Park, Fred Bismark Rohlf, Helena Arp, John Priest, Peter Arp, Peter Schneckloth, Roy Hofsrud, Tornado, vincent Hofsrud, Vivian Hofsrud
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The Karolyn Hall Luther Photograph Collection
April showers have been giving us a good soaking these last few days of the month — hopefully we will see no flooding along area waterways as a result. The waters of Davenport’s Duck Creek often jumped their banks in … Continue reading
A Quiet Spring Wedding in April
One of our favorite types of materials in our collections are photographs, particularly portraiture. We have a number of collections that feature these types of photographs. One such collection is the Free Studio of Photography Collection which contains photographs taken … Continue reading
Posted in Genealogy, Local History
Tagged Davenport (Iowa), Genealogy, Hostetler Studios, Local History, Photographs, Weddings
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The Mysterious Airship of April 1897
The first mysterious sightings were reported in a Sioux City, Iowa newspaper article on February 3, 1897. Something was seen floating in the night sky by local citizens near Hastings, Nebraska. The object was described as lingering about 800 feet … Continue reading
Dr. Jennie McCowen’s “Women In Iowa” (1884)
What better way to celebrate both Women’s History Month and Iowa History Month than to highlight an historic essay about Iowa women written by a woman of Davenport, Iowa for a journal of Iowa history? “Women of Iowa” appeared in … Continue reading
Come Tarry A While: Special Collections on Display at All Three Locations!
The Richardson-Sloane Special Collections staff members designed four displays highlighting materials from its collection. Displays are scheduled to be at each library location throughout the year on a quarterly rotation. Each of the displays discussed below will be at that … Continue reading
Posted in Library, Local History
Tagged Davenport (Iowa), Davenport Public Library, displays, Local History, Resources
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Total Eclipse of the Sun: March 7, 1970
April 8, 2024 will be an exciting day in the Quad Cities as we are expecting the first solar eclipse in our area in 54 years. We are expected to get an 83.70% view of the full eclipse at 1:58 … Continue reading
Albert Nuckols: Two Views
We close out Black History Month 2024 with a comparison of two images of Davenporter Albert Nuckols (d. 1889). The first, dating from 1868 to 1870, conveys the Reconstruction hope for the participation of newly-enfranchised African Americans into United States … Continue reading
Posted in Local History
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UMVDIA Spotlight: Wolverine Orchestra in the Gennett Recording Studios, Richmond, Indiana
On February 18, 1924, eight men of the Wolverine Orchestra gathered together to record their music in Richmond, Indiana at Gennett Records. This Midwestern recording studio was founded by Starr Piano Company in 1917. It was active from 1917 to … Continue reading
