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Category Archives: Local History
Barnstormers: The Negro League All-Stars in Davenport
When I look around, I see the world as it has been my whole life and sometimes neglect to think about Davenport’s past. Since I was young, going to a baseball game and viewing people of all ages and nationalities … Continue reading
Posted in Local History
Tagged Baseball, Major League All-Stars, Municipal Stadium, Negro League All-Stars, Race, Ray L. Doan
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Credit Island: The Unknown Battlefield
In May of this year, the city of Davenport received a grant from the State Historical Society of Iowa to conduct an archaeological study of one of the Mississippi River islands near the Iowa shoreline. The eventual goal is to … Continue reading
Posted in Local History
Tagged Black Hawk, Credit Island, Local History, Trading posts, War of 1812, Zachary Taylor
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Change Afoot: The Advent of Free Mail Delivery
As always, June has flown by and July is peeking around the corner. And, as always, on July 1st, new laws and regulations will be passed across the country. We found one change that occurred on July 1, 1873, that affected everyday life … Continue reading
The More Things Change . . .
On June 21, 1923, the Davenport Public Library formally opened the new addition to its Main Street location. The eighteen-year old building—the largest Carnegie library west of the Mississippi at the time of its construction—was already in sore need of … Continue reading
Posted in Library, Local History
Tagged Davenport Public Library, Eastern Avenue Library
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Yearbooks: Embarrassing or Awesome?
The Davenport Community School System has three high schools. The original Davenport High School took up residence in its current Main Street campus in 1904. It was renamed Central High School after West High was built on West Locust in … Continue reading
Once Upon a Fairy Night
Imagine a fairyland of delights only a trolley’s ride away from the center of the city’s downtown, a welcome escape from the heat, dust and smells of summer in a crowded river city. Imagine families picnicking in the cool shade … Continue reading
Closed for Memorial Day, Open for New Hours
The Davenport Public Library will be closed on Memorial Day. Please join us in remembering those who gave their lives so that we could have the opportunity to live ours in freedom. Scott County Soldiers’ Monument We will be open … Continue reading
Posted in Library, Local History
Tagged Memorial Day, New Hours, Scott County Soldiers' Monument
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Living Memory History: The Robin Hood Flour Mill Explosion
History is full of landmark events—world, national, local— which bring people together to compare notes: Did you see it? Did you hear it? What were you doing? Were you there? Those in downtown Davenport experienced their own landmark event around … Continue reading
Posted in Local History
Tagged Disasters, Fires, International Multifoods, Local History
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Calling All Genealogists (and Historians): Free Stuff!
Genealogists (and historians) love free stuff. I think that’s because almost everything genealogists do costs money—copies of vital records, paying for research in some far off place, gas money to travel to the cemeteries or a great library (ahem). Well, … Continue reading
Posted in Local History
Tagged Free Stuff, Genealogy, Iowa Genealogy and History Books Online, Iowa History
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Davenporters of Note: Samuel Francis Smith
Son of the highly respected man who composed the lyrics to “America”; one time Mayor of Davenport, charter member of Davenport National Bank, organizer, director and attorney for Union Savings Bank; president of the Iowa Bankers’ Association; … Continue reading
