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Category Archives: Local History
The Nation’s First Concentration Camp
In its almost one hundred and seventy-five years, Davenport has had many national firsts. Some of these fill us with a sense of comfortable pride. Others do not. Genealogists and local historians may know that the Quad-City area was originally … Continue reading
Fore!: Golfing in the Hotel Blackhawk
Winter is settling in around us in Davenport. It is almost a surprise to realize that December 21st, the oh-so-wonderful first day of winter, has only just past. The warmth of spring seems a long ways away this week. Fortunately, … Continue reading
Posted in Local History
Tagged American Legion, Davenport Club, Golf, Hotel Blackhawk, Hotels, Restaurants, Socials
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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
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 Arthur Davison Ficke, Poetry, Spectra, The Spectra Hoax, Witter Bynner, Writers
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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
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
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
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
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
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
