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Category Archives: Local History
Back to School: The return of smiling faces
With school back in session after summer break, we thought we would take a look back at the excitement of the first day of school in 1907. Schools reopened for students on September 3rd that year. The Daily Times noted in … Continue reading
To Catch a Summer Breeze: The Upper Lagoon at Vander Veer Park
As an antidote to the heat and humidity of August, we share this photograph from our collection that we hope will evoke a cool and tranquil experience of the outdoors: This photograph of the Upper Lagoon in Vander Veer Botanical Park was taken in about 1915. A stream … Continue reading
Posted in Local History
Tagged A. W. Vander Veer, Stone Bridge, Upper Lagoon, Vander Veer Botanical Park
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Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Festival Posters
The 45th Annual Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Festival kicks off today! Stop by the Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center and browse through our collection of posters from past years, donated to us by our friends at the Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Society and the Bix … Continue reading
Riepe & Pratt’s: Swimming 1862 style
As the heat of summer continues to warm most us to unpleasant levels; we decided to take a look back on ways Davenporters have kept cool in the past. We were excited to come across this advertisement for Riepe & Pratt’s … Continue reading
Migration Is Beautiful
Our colleagues from the Iowa Women’s Archives at the University of Iowa just launched a new website that we’re very excited about! Migration is Beautiful was unveiled last week at the 2016 League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) National Convention in Washington, … Continue reading
Posted in Local History
Tagged hispanic, Iowa, iowa women's archives, latinos, online resources, Oral History, university of Iowa
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Racing all the Rage: Bicyclists Speed Through Davenport on the Fourth of July, 1901
From their earliest days, the citizens of Davenport have loved to race. Looking through newspapers and other records, we have come across foot races, horse races, and running races. This year, when researching the history of past Fourth of July’s, we … Continue reading
Quad Cities Museum Week 2016
Celebrate Quad Cities Museum Week (June 18-26th) with us by taking a look at the history of the associations between two of Davenport’s well-loved cultural and educational institutions: the Putnam Museum and Science Center and the Figge Art Museum. The Davenport Academy of … Continue reading
Posted in Local History
Tagged Art Association of Davenport, Charles August Ficke, Davenport Academy of Sciences, Davenport Municipal Art Gallery, Davenport Museum of Art, Davenport Public Museum, Figge Art Museum, Joseph Duncan Putnam, Mary Louisa Duncan Putnam, Putnam family, Putnam Museum, Quad Cities Museum Week, W. C. Putnam
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Davenporters of Note: Thomas J. Walsh
In the course of researching the people appearing in the portrait photographs in our J. B. Hostetler collection, we often discover interesting ways in which Quad-City notables are connected to the wider world. A case in point is Thomas Joseph Walsh: Thomas Joseph Walsh was … Continue reading
Posted in Local History
Tagged 1906, Baseball, Chicago Cubs, Davenporters of Note, Sports, Thomas J. Walsh, Walsh Construction Company
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Splash into DPL’s Summer Reading Program!
The Davenport Public Library’s Summer Reading Program “On Your Mark, Get Set, Read!” begins this Saturday, June 4th. The theme this year is sports and fitness activities of all kinds. Visit the Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center at the Main Street Library … Continue reading
Musical Memories: Quad City Symphony Orchestra celebrates 100 Years
The Quad City Symphony Orchestra, or the QCSO, is celebrating its 100th anniversary! This makes the group one of only twenty longest-established, continuously operating orchestral associations in the United States. That’s a big deal! Many orchestras may claim a longer history, but … Continue reading
