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Category Archives: Local History
Invented In Davenport: Examples of Davenport ingenuity
We came across this unusual ad from the Davenport Democrat and Leader from September 12, 1922. We researched and found a John Flanagan of Davenport, Iowa applied for a patent for his Lifting-Jack on June 9, 1919, with the application … Continue reading
Jewish Americans in the Quad Cities
Celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month 2023 at the Davenport Public Library by exploring the resources on the history of the local Jewish community available at the Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center at Main|Library. The Jews of Iowa by Simon Glazer (1904) … Continue reading
Posted in Local History
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Preservation Week 2023: Building Resilient Communities
Each year, we participate in Preservation Week sponsored by Core: Leadership, Infrastructure, Futures with the objective to inspire action “to preserve personal, family, and community collections in addition to library, museum, and archive collections.” Preservation Week offers us a time … Continue reading
Posted in Local History
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Happy National Library Week: There’s More to the Story!
Join us in celebrating National Library Week from April 23-29. This year’s theme is “There’s More to the Story.” The story of libraries in Davenport, Iowa began in 1839 with a library in the LeClaire Hotel. In the following decades, … Continue reading
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Give a Hoot for History
Here in Special Collections, we Give a Hoot for History! Saturday, April 22, 2023, is Earth Day. In observance of the event here are some photographs and clippings representing our commitment to preserving Davenport’s history of caring for Mother Earth. … Continue reading
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Opening Our Collections: Schmidt Family – Crescent Macaroni and Cracker Company
We recently received additional items to the Schmidt Family – Crescent Macaroni and Cracker Company Collection – 2016-46 that we had to blog about this week. First, a brief history of the company. In 1875, Hugo Schmidt, Sr. along with … Continue reading
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Poetry Forms Originated by Nel Modglin
April is National Poetry Month, so we searched our archival collections for local poetry and/or poets to share with all of you. We came across a donation that we received 30 years ago, but we haven’t done extensive archival processing … Continue reading
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The Martin Family
We are always delighted when we receive a research request from abroad, but our correspondence over the past two months with Robyn Collins of Brisbane, Australia has revealed an especially fascinating story about the fortunes of the Martin family on … Continue reading
Posted in Genealogy, Local History
Tagged County Galway, Gerrard Estate, Ireland, Kilmartin, Kirk, Manion, Martin, St. Anthony's Church
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All Things SPRING
SPRING! The season officially arrived this week on Monday, March 20th, but the dreary days have Special Collections Staff dreaming of ALL THINGS SPRING. Forgive us for getting carried away, but just look at all the reminders of this glorious season … Continue reading
Posted in Local History
Tagged archives, Davenport (Iowa), newspapers, Resources, Spring
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“The Patch”: An Early Irish Neighborhood
In March, we see the glimmers of spring with new plant growth and holidays that allow us to reflect on the past as well as the future. Today is one such holiday that is as intertwined with American culture as … Continue reading
Posted in Local History
Tagged Celtic Heritage Trail, Disasters, East Davenport, Fires, Irish Americans, Local History, neighborhoods, The Patch
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