Category Archives: Local History

Feathered Hats and Juliet Caps: the Glaudel – Petrik Wedding

Eugenie M. Claudel married Francis Aloysious Petrik in Sacred Heart Cathedral at 8 o’clock on June 30, 1914. According to their Scott County marriage record, Miss Glaudel was 27 years old, and Mr. Petrik was 29. According to the wedding … Continue reading

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The Mystery of the Orphans’ Monument

Standing like a sentinel over the headstones in the Orphans’ Section in Oakdale Memorial Gardens Cemetery is a large granite monument, surrounded by mystery. Starting in November of 1865, Orphans from the Iowa Soldiers’ Orphans Home (later renamed the Annie … Continue reading

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Kids Who Love Books: Children’s Book Week 2014

May 12-18, 2014 is Children’s Book Week! Established in 1919, Children’s Book Week is the longest-running national literacy initiative in the country.   As children were among photographer J.B. Hostetler’s favorite subjects and books one of his favorite props, we thought we … Continue reading

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What’s in a Map? : Post Office Department reports of site locations, 1837-1950

Our maps have proven to be popular resources with our patrons. Whether you’re looking for visual information on your Davenport home, a glimpse of the city in 1857, your ancestral farm, the land that appears in your great-grandfather’s estate, the … Continue reading

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The Flood of 1870: Bridging the gap between memories and measurements

Last year at this time, we were taking pictures and blogging about the Flood of 2013. This year, so far, finds us nicely dry and warming up after a cold, snowy winter. But what attracted our attention this week when … Continue reading

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National Library Week: 1961 and Now

The motto for National Library week 1961 was “For a Better-Read, Better-Informed America”. That year, the Davenport Public Library was featured on a half hour TV show, Spectrum, on WHBF. Both the Davenport Morning Democrat and The Daily Times ran … Continue reading

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The wedding of Helen Kohn and David Gottlieb

Helen Josephine Kohn of Davenport married David Sticker Gottlieb of Tiffin, Ohio, on April 7, 1913, at the Outing Club in Davenport. According to the next day’s Davenport Democrat, the wedding was lovely. The Outing Club Ballroom was decorated with … Continue reading

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First, Do No Harm – then come see the State of Scott!

The Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center is pleased to offer two programs on Saturday, April 5th: First Do No Harm: Caring for your Family Documents  will be held at the Main Library (321 Main Street) from 9:30 – 11:30. Learn how … Continue reading

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Davenporters of Note: Alvino Peña

Alvino H. Peña was born May 14, 1939, in Silvis, Illinois.  He died on March 20, 2014, in Davenport, Iowa. In between those dates, he lived a lot of life and helped a lot of kids. The father of ten … Continue reading

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When Irish Eyes are reading the newspapers . . .

It’s difficult to do any research about Davenport’s earliest history without finding at least one Germanic surname along the way. And once the “forty-eighters” came here to find a little peace from the ongoing wars in their part of Europe … Continue reading

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