Category Archives: Local History

Holiday Receipts, Davenport-style

One of the oldest cookbooks in our collections is from the First Presbyterian Church in Davenport.  Titled Cook Book, its pages are brittle and smudged with use. This item has no official copyright date, but there are a few clues to its … Continue reading

Posted in Local History | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

The Spectra Hoax

Arthur Davison Ficke was born in Davenport in 1883, and although he studied law and went into business with his father, Charles August Ficke, he was a poet at heart, publishing his first two collections, From the Isles: A Series … Continue reading

Posted in Local History | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Davenporters of Note: Eugene B. Ely

November is National Aviation Month, so it seems like the perfect time to honor one of Davenport’s foremost flyboys. Eugene B. Ely, son of attorney N. D. Ely,was born in Williamsburg, Iowa, on October 21st, 1886. When Eugene was nine, … Continue reading

Posted in Local History | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

It’s Turkey Note Time!

It’s that special time of year when the leaves turn beautiful, the weather turns ugly, and those new to our fair city turn to our Special Collections Center for information about Turkey Notes Our standard explanation is here. And once … Continue reading

Posted in Local History | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The Weekly Outlook: French, Terpsichore, and Night Blooms

THE WEEKLY OUTLOOK  –  DEVOTED TO HOME & OUTING LIFE, LITERATURE, ART, MUSIC & THE DRAMAc (Volume 1  Number 6  – August 15, 1896) NOTABLES: The cover of today’s edition is graced with an image of local novelist Alice French.  … Continue reading

Posted in Local History | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Moment to Remember: Armistice Day, 1925

The ghosts and goblins were gone and local turkeys were still being fattened up in preparation for Thanksgiving dinner. But Davenporters, and most of the world, were about to pause in their holiday preparations on to remember those who fought … Continue reading

Posted in Local History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What’s in a Name?

It’s really fun to find your ancestors in old newspaper columns, vital records and census listings. But what happens if you cannot recognize the name of the town they lived in? If it doesn’t exist now, how can you find … Continue reading

Posted in Local History | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

A Cemetery by Any Other Name

In July of 1900, the West Davenport Cemetery Association was looking for a new name for the cemetery. They were worried that it was too easily confused with Davenport’s City Cemetery, which was also located on the west part of … Continue reading

Posted in Local History | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

We’re Cooking Now!

Although it’s well known—or should be—that our Special Collections Center archives the works of local authors, it appears that few of our patrons realize that this collection policy includes cookbooks produced by local organizations, schools, and businesses. One of the … Continue reading

Posted in Local History | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Weekly Outlook: Poetry and Politics

The People…are reading what? The people are reading THE WEEKLY OUTLOOK why? …Because it is a cheerful prophet, and they are weary of gloom. Because it chronicles the good rather than the bad. Because it is one of the handsomest, … Continue reading

Posted in Local History | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment