Category Archives: Local History

Happy Anniversary to the Library of Tomorrow!

If you are a regular reader of this blog you know that we use it to share snippets of local history.  We hope you’ll forgive us if we take the opportunity this week to share some brief history of a … Continue reading

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St. Katharine’s\St. Mark’s — A *Davenport* Tradition

Tomorrow is the anniversary of Rivermont Collegiate, that fine private school that, although it has spent the last few decades in Bettendorf, owes far more of its 124 years of history to Davenport. It all began with Griswold College, which … Continue reading

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Happy Anniverary, Chiropractic!

As we in the Quad-Cities finish cleaning up after this summer of high waters and strong winds, many of us will have cause to be grateful for the Palmer College of Chiropractic and their dedicated graduates who have kept our … Continue reading

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Announcing the Quad-Cities Civil War Legacy Conference!

Have you ever wondered about the part the Quad Cities played in the Civil War? If not, you really should be wondering. It is an absolutely fascinating subject! To help explore this subject more deeply the Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center … Continue reading

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“A Monster Parade”: Davenport’s First Labor Day

“Attempts to count the procession were futile. There was so much to see and admire that all counts failed . . . It is estimated that there were close upon 5,000 men. It was a monster parade.” Davenport Democrat, September … Continue reading

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An 1858 Job Review?

Reading through original receipts and requests in the City of Davenport Council Papers 1859 – 1862, we came across an interesting bill submitted by City Marshal John Bechtel for the December 2, 1858 council meeting. This bill left us scratching … Continue reading

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Dreams of Olympics Past–Victor Hopkins

Victor Hopkins was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on July 19, 1904 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, by a single mother and was adopted at a very young age by Mr. and Mrs. Jakob Hopkins, an older couple who died when … Continue reading

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The Barnard Lehrmann Memorial Road Race?

As we all continue to recover from the Bix 7 Run,* it might be of interest to look back 150 years and a month back to another race that took place one Davenport summer—a race that was far more spontaneous and … Continue reading

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Such a deal!

You just never know what you might find in our Archive and Manuscript Collection! I’d be willing to spend a whole dollar for these ready-to-hang lace curtains, even without the brass rod! No wonder Von Maur has been in business … Continue reading

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A Double-Bix Weekend!

Bix Beiderbecke, for those of you who don’t know, was a jazz genius, a coronet player who jammed with the likes of Hoagy Carmichael and played with the Jean GoldKette  Orchestra and the Paul Whitman Band.    When he died on … Continue reading

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