The Poet of the Plains – Buckskin Bill

Posted on April 23, 2022 by SCblogger

A recent acquisition to the Richardson-Sloane Archive and Manuscript Collection brought the fine line between fantasy and reality to the forefront and sent me on a fascinating research journey that took me from the onion fields of Scott County to the Wild Wild West and introduced me to some larger than life characters along the way.

A simple invitation to come for a family get-together and photo op was what started it. Handwritten, the 1931 invitation was on letterhead featuring a photo of a mustached man in a large cowboy hat and the imprint Col. Charles D. Randolph, “Buckskin Bill” Author and Publisher of the Booklet Western Poems. Describing the early West and Famous Plainsmen. Davenport, Iowa.

Addressed to Uncle Charlie F. Randolph, the author Charles D. Randolph had arranged for “The Randolph Boys” to meet at his address on East 13th Street in Davenport. Charles D.’s father, Aaron, would be turning seventy years old and a group picture with brothers Lewis, Michael, Edmund, and Charles F. had been scheduled. After sorting out the family relationships I became curious about the booklet of Western Poems and if it might be in our library’s collection.

Indeed, it was! So I took a look at the small booklet and found it was copyrighted and published in 1925, and bore the handwritten call number and “Trustee’s Room” label that meant this booklet has been in the library’s collection for a very long time.

The first poem was called “How I Won the Title ‘Buckskin Bill'” and described riding outlaw horses, camping in the sage, driving a stage, riding the Western range, and living in the mountains and plains. I would soon come to realize that this was a tall tale innocently enough started which soon would be accepted as a truth that continued to grow and grow more fantastical as the decades went on.

I looked up his 1982 obituary, which stated he retired as a guard at Rock Island Arsenal, was married, and was a veteran of World War I. It also mentioned he worked and was trapped in the West in the early 1900s and his life was the subject of a western novel. Again, back to the library catalog I went, but no success there or in WorldCat. So I decided to see if I could find anything in the newspapers about this book or his life.

I found a 1970 item in the Rock Island Argus with photographs and information stating the 82-year-old claimed he was a scout for the army, drove a stagecoach, got the rank of Colonel in the Montana militia in 1912, and rubbed shoulders with Buffalo Bill. Next came a 1959 Sunday Times-Democrat Personality Profile – a nearly full-page spread on the Son of the Wild West featuring an image of Randolph holding “a framed copy of the dime novel which featured him as the subject” titled Buckskin Bill, The Comanche Shadow. Now I had a title and went back to WorldCat.

Hmmm, that publication date of 1887 pre-dates this fellow’s birth by a year! Things aren’t really adding up here.

I continued with the article and found several items I thought I could fact-check. He said he met Calamity Jane as a “dissipated old woman” in a saloon, that Panther Pete gave him his nickname when he was in Deadwood at age nineteen, and that he had worked for the Western States Cattleman’s Association as an investigator.

First up was Calamity Jane. Turns out, Martha Jane Cannary lived from 1852 to 1903, so “Buckskin Bill would have been fourteen years old or younger if he really met her. It is possible but unlikely. As for Panther Pete, I find he is a fictional character prominent in dime novels and nickel weeklies published during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. I found no Western States Cattleman’s Association. Closest I could get was the Montana Cattlemen’s Association or the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association. A 1964 article I found stated the group later became the Western States Rangers and Randolph received the title of Colonel from them. Wait, didn’t he get it in 1912 from the Montana militia? Oh, and no luck with Western States Rangers, either.

Now, I really like history and I am troubled. I had to find out if there was truth to any of these events. I continued finding more articles and snippets about Charles D. Randolph until a fairly thick file resulted and I could create a timeline of sorts. I then turned to the census records to see if Randolph could be placed in any of the western states from his birth in 1888 to his death in 1982. The answer? Never. He was always listed in Iowa for every state and federal census from 1895 until 1940. I was just about convinced he had established an entire persona based on imagination with fictional characters from dime novels as his supporting cast.

Something told me to search our archive and manuscript collection in ArchivesSpace at https://archives.davenportlibrary.com/

Manuscript date? 1924, the year prior to publishing the booklet of poems. This was the mother lode. I poured over the entire manuscript, adding dates and events to my timeline. Here’s what I found.

Charles D. Randolph grew up in Pleasant Valley township in a farming family, the oldest child of Aaron and Louella Randolph. He attended school and helped with farming chores. He joined a railroad crew going to work in Canada in 1911, then a threshing crew in Saskatchewan. From there he went site seeing in the western states and worked for an irrigation company, cattle ranch, sheep ranch, and alfalfa ranch in Montana for brief stints.

Home from his travels in September 1912, he settled into raising onions and raspberries on two acres in Pleasant Valley township for several years until August of 1913 when he and a friend rode the train to Montana where he took a stage to the S.O.W. cattle ranch, working for about a month. Randolph writes this is when he got the nickname “Buckskin Bill”. While riding on some roundups he broke a buckskin horse, saddling it most of the time from then on. For some reason, one of the guys started calling him “Bill”. There were several other fellows named “Bill” so Randolph became “Buckskin Bill”.

Leaving Montana, he went on to the Wenatchee Valley in Washington, hiring out to a fruit rancher for several months. He ventured further to see the Pacific Ocean and after spending some time on the beach he returned to the S.O.W. for the winter, cutting wood and running traps, returning to Davenport on April 25, 1914.

He talked about attending a Wild West Show in Davenport in May 1915 and working for Iowana Farms in 1916 where he was employed on and off for several years doing a variety of jobs. He and a buddy rode horseback 130 miles to Tama County, Iowa to work as a hired hand for a farmer from May to August 1917. Randolph said he absolutely loved riding horseback. Then Charles D. hung up his spurs for a while to work as a conductor for the Tri-City Railway in Davenport before enlisting in the Army for World War I. He was assigned to the Engineers, trained at Camp Dix, served honorably in England and France, and was discharged arriving home on July 20, 1919. October found he and two friends leaving in an automobile for the West again, stopping in the Black Hills to view the graves of Calamity Jane (no wonder she looked dissipated) and Wild Bill Hickok, continuing on to a ranch in the Bear Lodge Mountains of Wyoming owned by a first cousin to his father. From there he went to the Flying V Ranch in Montana for a cattle round-up before boarding a train back to the Plains arriving home just before Christmas 1919.

Randolph worked a number of different jobs for the next two years before his first marriage in August 1921 to Esther D. Haffner whom he had met while stationed at Fort Dix in Ohio during the War. Things did not go smoothly for the couple as his entry for September 1922 reads,

I had her [Esther] with me constantly from Sept. 1, 1921 to Sept. 23, 1922 then she left for Mansfield OH where she still is…she did not care for me but I worshipped her. 

She filed for divorce in Ohio in March 1924. The same month his divorce was finalized, the first poem I could locate in the local newspaper was published. It was titled “The Poet” and it appeared in the Daily Times. His heartbreaking final manuscript entry from September 1924 reads:

Charles Randolph’s duties on the island are walking posts – on guard he carried a revolver a forty five colt – He likes to work for the government and “pack a gun”  He is well liked and has not been late or lost a day in the past eight months – Charles is building up again – and saving money – He was married Aug 3rd 1921 and his wife left him three times each time breaking him – the last time she left Jan 3rd 1924, when she left Charles had lost every dollar he had. She run through with it. He lost $4000 dollars in three years. She got a divorce May 8th 1924 leaving Charles $2.50 in debt – today he is batching and has $100 in the bank and a good job and a girl who loves him who he may some time marry — Charles is a poet now and his poems appear in the papers often”

It is only through newspaper items and genealogical documentation I can fill in the rest of his life after such a detailed look at his early one.

We know he printed 1000 copies of his booklet of poetry per a 1927 newspaper item. That also seems to be the first time he refers to himself using the title of Colonel. He claims to have spent more than ten years employed on ranches in the western states and gained the title through service on the frontier. Each article from now on becomes more elaborate, filled with falsehoods.

He had a brief marriage in 1929 to Elverda M. Sears, twenty years his junior, which lasted one month. In 1951 he married Clara Belle Hatcher in August but filed for divorce in November of the same year. In July 1954 he married Betty Donaldson and retired from his position at the Arsenal in 1959. He collected dime novels and immersed himself in all things Western.

He had a long-distance correspondence with a woman in Colorado called Rattlesnake Kate who earned her nickname by killing 140 rattlesnakes in two hours with a signpost on her ranch near Greeley in 1925. His first letter to her in 1931 states he saw an interesting story about her and

…thought I’d drop you a few lines. I spent a good share of my life in the West and love the West. I write Western Poems and have a book published by that name 85 poems. I make scrap books and dedicate them to my Western Friends with pictures and write ups about them, would like to do so for you. I am an old friend of Pawnee Bill, Idaho Bill, Diamond Dick and knew Deadwood Dick, Buffalo Bill and Captain Jack Crawford.

The two corresponded for the next thirty years with him sending love poems to Rattlesnake Kate and making up stories about Buckskin Bill and Kate on exciting adventures in the Wild West.

For the remainder of his long life, Buckskin Bill continued to spin the yarn of living on the frontier as one of the last great cowboys, stating he had been an Army scout on raids in the Dakota Badlands and involved in uprisings that had actually occurred before he was born. No one seemed bothered by the far-fetched tales of the man with long white hair, mustache, and beard wearing the buckskin jacket and pants, showing off the saddle, rifles, and handguns he carried during those exciting days. He and his fourth wife lived in a little house on Jefferson Avenue where reporters came to hear him relate intriguing stories of life on the trail with Deadwood Dick, Panther Pete, and Buffalo Bill never doubting, or at least not admitting there might be some embellishment in the tales.

Top Photo:  Charles Randolph on “Tom” his favorite saddle horse he rode for many years. Tom was a red boy, with a white face, four white feet and a silver main [sic] and tail. (1915)

Middle Photo:  Charles Randolph on the back porch of the old Randolph Home dressed in his favorite “outfit”. (1918)
  
Bottom Photo:  Charles Randolph saddle, bridle, gun, hat, rope, blanket, revolver, and belt. His favorite picture of himself was taken in the orchard. (1917)

Was he so broken after Esther left him that he escaped in his mind to the Wild West, imagining himself a great frontiersman just to make it through the day? Did the artistic license given poets, artists and dreamers take over this man of modest means?  It’s as if the end of the manuscript marked the end of his life as Charles D. Randolph, deciding to adopt the glamorous character of Buckskin Bill as his future just so he could bear to live through it.

I looked at the Preface he had written again.

The manuscript helped me reconcile his sincere love of all things western – riding horses, clothing style, dress and hair, working as a guard “packing a gun”, all of this supported his western reverie. His fond memories of those three trips and the pleasures, trials, and tribulations indeed provided Charles D. Randolph with a wealth of material for the rest of his life, keeping him young at heart.

The Poet of the Plains, Buckskin Bill, rode off into the sunset a happy man, if not a completely truthful one.  

(posted by Karen)

Sources:

The Daily Times (Davenport, Iowa)

The Democrat and Leader (Davenport, Iowa)

The Rock Island Argus (Rock Island, Illinois)

Davenport Public Library Photograph Collection

Davenport Public Library Archive and Manuscript Collection

Hazel E. Johnson Research Center, Greeley History Museum, Greely, CO

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In Memoriam: Marvin D. Lee

Posted on April 14, 2022 by SCblogger

We are deeply saddened by the loss of our friend and volunteer, Marvin Lee, who passed away on March 28, 2022 in Davenport, Iowa.

Marvin Daniel Lee was born on December 24, 1931 in Moline, Illinois. He was the son of Alonzo and Ada (Ballard) Lee. He was the youngest of four children, his older siblings being Pauline, Raoul, and Barbara Lee.

In 1950, Marvin graduated Davenport High School. Among the graduates in the Class of 1950 was Marilyn Hancock, his high school sweetheart. Marvin and Marilyn married on September 23, 1950 at First Christian Church in Davenport. They would go on to have two daughters, Linda and Susan.

The Democrat and Leader, September 25, 1950. Pg. 7

Mr. Lee served in the United States Air Force from February 1951 through February 1955 during the Korean Conflict. He returned home to his family a Staff Sergeant with an honorable discharge for his service. He immediately began working at the Riverside Foundry in Bettendorf, Iowa.

After passing the Davenport Civil Service exam, Marvin became a Davenport Police Officer on April 1, 1958. He worked in the Patrol Unit until he left the Department on January 15, 1967 to take a position with Chicago Tri-Cities Motor Freight and then Kartridge Pak Company.

The Morning Democrat, November 14, 1958. Pg. 34.
The Daily Times, November 20, 1958. Pg. 11.

He retired from Kartridge Pak on March 1, 1991 after 23 years of service. Mr. Lee was also a Master Mason for 50 years from November 1953 to November 9, 2003. He was with Blue Lodge, and was a former member of the Consistory and the Kaaba Shrine.

Around the Fall of 2005, Marvin decided to research what had happened to the officers he had served with on the Davenport Police Department. He soon began to collect the obituaries of deceased officers and created an index that included years of service, death, and burial information. Once Marvin had located the officers with whom he served, he decided to expand his research and created a collection of police officer obituaries from the first Davenport City Marshal through the present day.

Marvin Daniel Lee c. 1958 from Story Book 1 in Collection 2012 – 33.

During this time, Mr. Lee became a volunteer at the Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Department at the Davenport Public Library. We always enjoyed working and visiting with Marvin. He loved to joke with us and make us laugh. Marvin would share stories about growing up in Davenport during the 1940s and ’50s, and his later career as a Davenport Police Officer.

On October 19, 2012, Mr. Lee donated his Davenport Police Obituary Collection to the Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Department. This collection contains 19 binders (most about 5 inches thick) filled with the obituaries, genealogical research, newspaper clippings, and service information on 533 Davenport City Marshals and Police Officers from 1839 through the present. We were grateful that Mr. Lee continued to help us keep the collection updated even after 2012.

Binder from the Davenport Police Department Obituary Collection 2012-33.

You might think Mr. Lee would have been finished researching after this, but no! As part of the reunion committee for the Davenport High School Class of 1950, Marvin began to collect obituary information for deceased classmates as a way to keep track of the 627 graduates. He donated the Davenport High School Class of 1950 Collection to the Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center on November 17, 2016. He helped to keep this collection up-to-date as well. His last update to us was on March 24, 2022. This collection today contains 12 binders (most 5 inches thick) with obituary and genealogical information on 450 of his classmates.

Binder from the Davenport High School Class of 1950 Collection 2016-42.

And he still wasn’t done yet: On October 10, 2019 Mr. Lee donated a two-binder collection of obituaries of former employees from Kartridge Pak in Davenport, Iowa.

The amazing part of all this work was that it began with the simple question “Whatever happened to….?”

Davenport Police Department Obituary Collection 2012-33. Image from Story Book 1. This photo was from Mr. Lee’s personal collection he added into his research.

We would like to extend our condolences to the family of Mr. Lee and thank them for sharing him with us. We know research can become overwhelming and time-consuming.

To Mr. Lee, we will miss your enthusiasm, jokes, and kindness. And as we promised you, we will continue updating your collections. Thank you for your dedication to local history research and thank you for your amazing friendship the past 16 years.

(posted by Amy D.)

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A Look at Davenport in 1950

Posted on April 6, 2022 by SCblogger

The 1950 Census is here! Release day went smoothly and the OCR/AR indexing works about as well as expected. The results of our searches are below! We searched for some Davenport Public Library staff, the Mayor in 1950, and some other individuals of interest.

Library Staff in the Census

We looked for the Davenport Public Library’s Director, the Assistant Director, the Head of Extension Services, and the Children’s Librarian and were able to find them quickly using the search feature.

Davenport Public Library Director Elizabeth Martin (age 61) lived with her mother Margaret (age 83) at 1921 Elm Street.

1950 Census of Population – Iowa, Scott County, Davenport, E.D. No. 101-102, Sheet No. 16

Assistant Director Ruth Kellogg (age 40) lived with her mother Emma (age 68) at 55 Glenwood Avenue. Miss Kellogg resigned in September to become the library director at the Elkhart Public Library in Indiana.

1950 Census of Population – Iowa, Scott County, Davenport, E.D. No. 101-110, page 16

Our Children’s Librarian, Vira Blankenburg (age 50), and her husband William (age 61) were at 2807 Grand Avenue. William owned the Blankenburg Service station at 2020 East 5th Street.

1950 Census of Population – Iowa, Scott County, Davenport, E.D. No. 101-78, Sheet No. 71

Extension Department head (now called Community Outreach) Betty M. Coughlin (age 29) and her sister Marjorie (age 26) lived with their parents Tom (age 58) and Monica (age 60). Tom Coughlin owned the Guaranteed Used Cars dealership at 414 Main Street and Marjorie was society editor for The Daily Times newspaper.

1950 Census of Population – Iowa, Scott County, Davenport, E.D. No. 101-110, Sheet No. 17

Mayor Kroppach

We found Davenport mayor Arthur R. Kroppach (age 54) living at 418 West Central Park Avenue with his wife Ann (age 51), daughter Suzanne (age 24), and son James (age 18). Suzanne was the assistant society editor for The Daily Times newspaper.

1950 Census of Population – Iowa, Scott County, Davenport, E.D. No. 101-58, Sheet No. 13

What was going on in Davenport at the time the 1950 Census was taken? Here’s a look at some of the headlines from 1950.

Year in Review: 1950 Census Style

St. Elizabeth’s Fire

41 women died when a fire broke out at St. Elizabeth’s mental ward of Mercy Hospital on January 7, 1950. Check out this blog post for more information.

St. Elizabeth’s Fire

Davenport Municipal Airport

A 36-inch clear-green rotating beacon of “true light” was installed in Mt. Joy on February 12, 1950, signaling the opening of the Davenport Municipal Airport to air traffic.

Davenport Mayor Arthur B. Kroppach at Mt. Joy Airport Groundbreaking

Korean War Casualties

6 Army service members from Scott County died in Korea in 1950.

Rock Island Argus. February 25, 1950.
Rock Island Argus. September 13, 1950.
The Daily Times. August 28, 1950.
Davenport Democrat. October 10, 1950.
The Daily Times. December 9, 1950.
The Daily Times. August 1, 1950.
  • Pvt. Charles L. Abbott, age 17, reported MIA on July 20, 1950.
  • Cpl. James E. Hicks, age 32, was killed in action on November 25, 1950
  • Pfc. Richard E. Hoffman, age 17, was killed in action on September 3, 1950
  • Pfc. Charles W. Kline, age 18, was killed in action on September 30, 1950
  • Sgt. Kenneth E. Stevenson, age 20, was killed in action on September 27, 1950
  • Pfc. Robert Wheeler, age 18, was killed in action on August 15, 1950

ALCOA

The Aluminum Co. of America plant outside of Bettendorf increased production to fill war orders for making airplane parts. It employed about 1,750 people in 1950.

Measuring the width of an aluminum ingot prior to it being rolled into an aluminum sheet at a mill of Aluminum Co. of American (ALCOA)

Did you find your family in the 1950 Census? Were you able to find them using the OCR/AI indexing, or did you have to browse through multiple EDs to find them? Any big surprises? Let us know in the comments!

(posted by Cristina)

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Women’s Work

Posted on March 28, 2022 by SCblogger

In celebration of Women’s History Month 2022, we continue our investigation of Davenporter Albert Nuckols’ extended family, this time with a focus on its women members.

Nuckols arrived in Davenport in 1854 as a single parent, his wife Anna having recently passed away. It is possible he entrusted his then four-year-old daughter Eudora’s care to another African-American family in the city. By the time she was twenty, still a student at Davenport High School, “Eudora Knuckles” was part of the household headed by barber James G. Garland. [1] Garland’s wife Caledonia may have raised Eudora alongside her own children, Walter and Virginie (Jennie) beginning as early as 1857, when the Garlands arrived in Davenport. Perhaps it was John H. Warwick, James Garland’s employer, who introduced the two families. Warwick was “the first colored man Albert met when he came to this city.” [2]

It was the younger women of the two families that brought the Nuckols and the Garlands even closer: Eudora married Walter Garland in 1873, with sister Jennie as her bridesmaid. [3] Seven years later, in 1880, Jennie Garland named her third son (with husband Willis J. Walker, also a barber) after Eudora’s father, Albert. By this time, Caledonia Garland had lost her husband (James G. passed away in 1872) and was living in her daughter’s home on Harrison Street. [1] Caledonia most likely contributed to the care of her three Walker grandsons.

Eudora Nuckols passed away at a young age (36, in 1886, leaving no children), as did her sister-in-law Jennie Garland Walker (39, in 1894). [4] By the turn of the 20th century, it would be the older generation of Nuckols and Garland women who maintained the connection between the two families. In 1900, Caledonia Garland was living in the family home with her two grandsons, Willis J. and Albert N. Walker, both of whom were working as railroad dining car cooks. She also had a lodger: a “washer-woman” from Kentucky named Emily Kanes. [5]

An “Emily Kane” was a witness to Eudora Nuckols’ last will and testament in 1886, [6] along with Caledonia Garland, and a petitioner in the case of Albert Nuckols’ estate noted the deceased “…left surviving him only a sister whose residence is at Davenport, Iowa.” [7]  Could these three women be one in the same? It may be that Emily came to the city sometime after 1880, perhaps to find work and support from her brother after her husband’s death, or to help nurse her niece through an ultimately fatal illness. Then, after Albert’s death in 1889, she lived with Eudora’s mother-in-law and her brother’s namesake, her closest remaining relatives.

Or perhaps Emily Kanes lived in the Garland/Walker household earlier in the 1880s, assisting with child-rearing. She bequeathed part of her estate to Caledonia’s grandsons Willis J. and Albert N. Walker, “two boys,” she stated in her will, “whom I have brought up to manhood.” [8] Bert (Albert N.) Walker was the one who informed Scott County authorities of Emily Kanes’ death, and Willis arranged to have her body transported back to Versailles, Kentucky. [9]

The bond between the Nuckols and Garland families, forged in Davenport by two generations of women, finally broke with the passing of Caledonia Garland (1911) and Emily Kanes (1922); neither Willis nor Albert N. Walker married.

(posted by Katie)

[1] 1880 US Census for Davenport, Iowa.

[2] “Prince Albert,” Davenport Democrat-Gazette, February 1, 1889, page 4.

[3] Daily Davenport Democrat, October 3, 1873.

[4] “Walker,” The Daily Times (Davenport, Iowa), August 13, 1894, page 4.

[5] 1900 US Census for Davenport, Iowa.

[6] Scott County [Iowa] Will Record No. 2, page 554, “Will and Testament of Eudora S. Garland.”

[7] Scott County, Iowa, Probate Case Packet No. 2830, Albert Nickols, March 8, 1889.

[8] Scott County [Iowa] Will Record No. 15, page 369, “Will of Emily Kanes.”

[9] Death certificate for Mrs. Emily Canes, Scott County, Iowa, filed September 8, 1922.

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Irish Shenanigans

Posted on March 17, 2022 by SCblogger

Davenport and the Quad Cities love celebrating St. Patrick’s Day and the month of March provides opportunity and hope for celebrating the coming of Spring and all things green. With that in mind, here are some of the March Mischief folks engaged in 100 years ago!

As always, the roaring twenties called for dancing!!

The Daily Times (Davenport, IA),  March 15, 1922.
The Daily Times (Davenport, IA),  March 16, 1922.

How about something for the younger set? A “Mixer” would be just the thing to meet up with a lucky leprechaun! Chaperoned, naturally.

        The Daily Times (Davenport, IA), March 18, 1922.

Timeless green carnations are always a hit!

The Daily Times (Davenport, IA),  March 15, 1922.

St. Patrick’s Day is always a great theme for a tea or card party! Everyone likes to be social!!

The Daily Times (Davenport, IA), March 4, 1922.  
The Daily Times (Davenport, IA),  March 13, 1922.
The Daily Times (Davenport, IA), March 18, 1922.

How about a spring carnival? That sounds like a good time!

The Democrat and Leader (Davenport, IA),  March 16, 1922.

 The Ancient Order of Hibernians and their ladies auxiliary provided an Irish program, naturally.

The Daily Times (Davenport, IA),  March 8, 1922.

This wouldn’t be complete without an Irish toast!

For each petal on the shamrock

This brings a wish your way.

Good health, good luck, and happiness

For today and every day!

-Unknown

The Daily Times (Davenport, IA),  March 16, 1922.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day for Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center!

crop person holding colorful poster
Photo by Laura Tancredi on Pexels.com

(posted by Karen)

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Prost! Brewing History in Davenport: The Evolution of the Zoller Brewing Company

Posted on March 12, 2022 by SCblogger

In our photograph collection, we digitized the photograph below picturing a group of workers from Zoller Brewing Company, located in Davenport, Iowa. The twenty-two men in work clothes including aprons are seen posing for a group picture from the 1930s. This image and many others are accessible to the public on the Upper Mississippi Valley Digital Image Archive, a digital collection consortium spanning institutions in Iowa and Illinois surrounding the Quad Cities.

The brewery these men worked for, at the time, was known as the Zoller Brewing Company. It began in 1935. In the article, “Brew First Legal Beer in 20 Years,” published in The Davenport Democrat and Leader on February 28, 1935, the newspaper reports that the Zoller Brewing Company began its operations to brew “Davenport’s first batch of legal beer in upward of 20 years” (“Brew First” 10 ). The brewery is located at West Third Street and Wilkes Avenue which is the former site of its predecessors, the Black Hawk Brewery and Malt House and the Independent Brewing Company. This new brewing company was “acquired and reconditioned thruout by the Zoller interests” (“Brew First” 10). Thus the brewery constructed in 1890 was revitalized with new equipment allowing its story to turn another page. The article provides specific details such as where the brew will be aged and most importantly for the reader, when it will be available for consumption. The president, Carleton S. Smith, shared that the beer was going to be perfect beer before a bottle is sold on the market. But the people of Davenport didn’t have to wait long before sipping this brew.

The Davenport Democrat and Leader (Davenport, IA), Feb. 28, 1935, 10.

The history of the Zoller Brewing Company and its land trace its origins back to 1865 to the first Blackhawk brewery founded by Julius Lehrkind. An unfortunate fate befell the brewery in 1871 and 1880 when it was damaged by fire. Mr. Lehrkind sold the land to the Zoller Family.

  • Daily Davenport Democrat (Davenport, IA), Dec. 14, 1871, 1.
  • The Davenport Democrat (Davenport, IA), Mar. 5, 1880, 1.
  • The Davenport Democrat (Davenport, IA), Mar. 24, 1887, 1.

The Zoller Brothers, August, Ernest, and Charles, who had a history of being maltsters and owning a malt house/brewery as early as 1859, became the new owners of the Blackhawk Brewery, according to Randy Carlson’s The Breweries of Iowa. The brothers took on other rolls in the community as well such as constable and labors. They were listed as maltsters in the 1888-1889 city directory and were sometimes listed as A. Zoller and Bros. They resided in a suburb known as Black Hawk.

On February 17, 1890, The Daily Times announced the Zoller brothers’ new venture of building an “extensive brewery” roughly 44 by 72 feet in size. In the 1890 city directory, the brothers were listed at the proprietors of both the Black Hawk Malt House and the Black Hawk Brewery.

  • “New Enterprise,” The Daily Times (Davenport, IA), Feb. 17, 1890, 4.
  • Davenport Morning Tribune (Davenport, IA), Feb. 19, 1890, 3.
  • “Another Extension.” The Davenport Democrat (Davenport, IA), Oct. 28, 1890, 1.

Tracing the history of people and businesses in city directories and other resources can lead to a variety of discoveries and mysteries. From our research, we know that the brewery was located at 2d NW corner Davie meaning it was on Second Street on the northwest corner of Davie Street. In some city directories, it is list as 1802-1812 Second Street and later it was listed as 1801-1803 West Third Street. With the help of our Sanborn Insurance map collection, we can pinpoint locations and a time frame when those buildings were extant.

The location of this brewery has an added layer of mystery because in Randy Carlson’s The Breweries of Iowa, he states that the Zoller’s purchased Lehrkind’s Blackhawk Brewery in the Blackhawk district. This property was sold to the Davenport Malting Company in 1894 and then closed shortly after. The Zoller brothers then purchased land offered by the railroad located at 1801 West Third Street. We will have to research more to find evidence of these claims in resources from our collection. (Carlson 21-22)

This last address is where we know it to be from 1902 onward.

  • Third Street between Howell and Wilkes Street. from the 1910 Sanborn Insurance Map of Davenport.

Over the next couple of years, the young brewery faced a fire that caused extensive damage to the malt house totaling around 16,000 as well as a renaming to Independent Malting Company in 1896 according to city directories of the time. (“A Black Hawk Blaze” 1).

The Zoller brothers continued operating the Independent Malting Company until 1919 when it was last listed in the city directories. Ernest Zoller was listed as president, Charles was the vice president, and Fred was the secretary and treasurer. Production ceased due to prohibition.

From that time until 1934, the brothers engaged in other entrepreneurial endeavors such as the Independent Real Estate Company, the Independent Motor Truck Company, and the Independent Produce/Products Company. According to Carlson’s The Breweries in Iowa, “In September of 1934, Articles of Incorporation were taken out renaming the brewery The Independent Brewing Company” (Carlson 23). Unfortunately, the brothers struggled to reopen the brewery without outside assistance. In November 1934, they found three established breweries willing to invest: The Pfeiffer Brewing Co. of Detroit, Michigan; The Southwestern Brewing Co. of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and the Springfield Brewing Co. of Springfield, Illinois (Carlson 23).

In January 1935, articles of incorporation were filed to change the name to the Zoller Brewing Company at 1801-1803 West Third Street. The brewery’s president was Mr. Smith. They became a very popular beer and increased their distribution to a number of surrounding states. Throughout 1935, the Zoller Brewing Company was continuously found in the local newspapers. They advertised tirelessly. In April 1935, the brewery was ready to have the citizens of Davenport taste their beer. (The Daily Times 10)

  • The Daily Times (Davenport, IA), Apr. 30, 1935, 10.
  • The Davenport Democrat and Leader (Davenport, IA), Apr. 30, 1935, 6.

In 1936, the Zoller Brewing Company celebrated its first anniversary with much fanfare. The organization continued the successful sale of beer with some changes to administrative staff, but the Zoller family continued to be employees of the company.

The Davenport Democrat and Leader (Davenport, IA), May 1, 1936, 10.

1945 was another pivotal year for the brewing company. It changed its a name to Blackhawk Brewing Company with Stewart P. Porter as the president and treasurer, William F. Neumann as the vice president, Alfred Magnusson as secretary, Fred Zoller as assistant secretary, and R. M. Bush as general sales manager. The brewery was still located at 1801-1803 West Third Street.

We will continue the history of the Blackhawk Brewing Company in our next Prost!: Brewing History in Davenport blog post. Please enjoy these delightful Zoller Brewing Company advertisements that were run in the local newspapers.

  • The Daily Times (Davenport, IA), Feb. 16, 1935, 9.
  • The Daily Times (Davenport, IA), Apr. 30, 1935.
  • The Davenport Democrat and Leader (Davenport, IA), Oct. 13, 1935, 49.
  • The Daily Times (Davenport, IA), Dec. 14, 1935, 15.
  • The Daily Times (Davenport, IA), May 1, 1936, 8.
  • The Davenport Democrat and Leader (Davenport, IA), Mar. 20, 1938.

Bibliography

“A Black Hawk Blaze.” The Davenport Democrat (Davenport, IA), Apr. 17, 1893, 1.

Burggraaf, Mike R. The Saloon & Liquor Trade of Davenport, Iowa & Scott County 1836-1933. [Iowa?]: Unidentified, 2016.

Carlson, Randy. The Breweries of Iowa. Bemidji, MN: Arrow Printing, 1985.

The Daily Times (Davenport, IA), Apr. 30, 1935, 10.

Sanborn Map Company. Insurance Maps of Davenport, Iowa, Volume One. New York, NY: Sanborn Map Company, 1910.

Wilkie, Franc B. Davenport: Past and Present; including the Early History, and Personal and Anecdotal Reminiscences. Davenport: Luse, Lane & Co., 1858.

(posted by Kathryn)

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The Gaines Street African-American Settlement

Posted on March 4, 2022 by SCblogger

Herington Park in Davenport is a two-acre city-owned park with an address of 935 Brown Street. The park includes the area surrounded by Brown, Gaines, W. 9th, and W. 11th Streets. Neighborhoods with historic homes and families are nearby and downtown Davenport is just down the hill. This park offers open space to exercise, a playground for children, a basketball court, and a covered shelter shaded by nearby trees for a family outing or event.

This spot has been a park for a little over fifty years. Its history going back just about one hundred years ago will be the focus of this article. That is when this area became the site of a planned African-American settlement in the early 1900s.

On August 19, 1901, African-American businessmen organized the Negro Business League which was part of the National Negro Business League (NNBL) founded by Booker T. Washington in 1900. The purpose of the organization was for the support of the African-American community in association with the national organization.

The Davenport Morning Star, August 20, 1901. Pg. 8

On that August day, Albert B. Woods was elected chairman, Alexander D. Corbin was elected secretary, and W. B. Anderson was elected Treasurer. Alexander D. Corbin was also elected to represent the city of Davenport in Chicago at the gathering of the Colored Men’s National Business League on August 21st – 23rd.

By the end of October 1901, the Negro Business League purchased property near 8th and Harrison Streets for a cost of $4,000. The organization planned to build a three-story building on the lot with two store rooms on the first floor, four suites of rooms on the second floor, and two halls for meetings and entertainment on the third floor. The African-American community, fraternal organizations, and businesses would be welcome to use the space. The committee members compared their structure and its purpose to that of the Turner Society buildings in the German-American community.

Alexander Corbin was one of the biggest motivators during the fundraising for this project. Originally from Ohio and later Omaha, Nebraska, and Des Moines, Iowa; Corbin had resided in Davenport since about 1896. His business of plastering and wallpapering had become very successful in the few years he lived here. Corbin was actively involved with the founding of the local Negro Business League and newspapers spoke highly of his real estate ventures, philanthropy, and oratory skills.

By November 11, 1901, the Davenport Democrat and Leader reported that Corbin was already meeting with local ministers and men of prominence from the Tri-Cities and was securing their pledges for the new building with the project set to start when the weather warmed up in the spring of 1902. With $4,000 already pledged, the goal was set at $8,000 more. In the midst of the fundraising, the League was disappointed to learn that an adjoining frontage property that was part of their future development plan was sold to the Economy Rug Company for a new business.

The Davenport Democrat, November 11, 1901. Pg. 5

Fundraising continued into 1902 and early 1903 along with the usual League business and their benevolence initiatives. One of the big events during this time was Alexander Corbin being invited to speak on the subject of real estate at the national convention of the National Negro Business League in August 1902 in Richmond, Virginia.

In August of 1903, Alexander Corbin purchased lots 3, 4, and 5 in block 10 of the Forrest & Dillon’s addition. He also purchased a house on Gaines Street between 9th and 10th streets in January 1904. The last purchase adjoined the previous purchase from 1903. Other members of the Negro Business League were also purchasing property that adjoined Corbin’s during the same time period. Over time, the organization purchased six acres of land in the area surrounded by Brown, Gaines, W. 9th, and W. 10th Streets.

The Daily Times, August 19, 1903. Pg. 10

It wasn’t until June 1904 that the Negro Business League announced new building plans. Alexander Corbin applied for a permit to build a two-story frame building* on Gaines Street between Ninth and Tenth Streets. The League had decided instead of building a business/entertainment building it was more important for the African-American community to have respectable housing at a reasonable price. The apartment house was to be the first of several structures managed by the Negro Business League on those six acres.

The apartment building at 936 Gaines Street contained nineteen rooms. There would be apartments for five families and include a large kitchen, large hall, and smaller meeting rooms to be used by the African-American community and fraternal organizations. The building contained modern conveniences such as running water, bathrooms, toilets, and a coal furnace. Rent was to be made affordable with no rent during winter months for families who lived in the building the previous summer. The goal was to sell shares in the Negro Business League association to the public to help fund the building of other homes and cover expenses.

On Friday, August 26, 1904, the dedication of the first building in the new African-American settlement was held. Over 2,000 people from local cities came to celebrate the event. Speakers and singers addressed and entertained the audience. After the dedication, a barbeque was held with food being served in the new large dining room. The building would become known as Corbin Flats.

Davenport Morning Star, August 13, 1904. Pg. 6

Soon, a few small houses were built on neighboring lots as the community grew. Once again, modern amenities along with affordable rent were a priority in building the homes. Alexander Corbin, and his wife Rosa, resided in the neighborhood that they were helping to build. Members of the Negro Business League continued to solicit donations and sell shares to help support their endeavor.

It appears things began to slow down in building new homes around 1906. In October of that year, Rosa Corbin filed for divorce from Alexander. Soon after the divorce, Alexander began to spend more time in his former hometown of Omaha. He opened a new business there as a contractor, paper hanger, and painter. He later expanded his business into Des Moines, Iowa before moving to Chicago, Illinois where he died on November 4, 1926. Corbin had been a motivating force behind fundraising, real estate, and building new homes.

Problems arose as the properties had been purchased in various League members’ names. Some sold their properties while others found themselves sued by builders or businesses if the League did not have the money to cover the building or materials costs. By 1914, it appears the organization had refocused in a different direction away from the settlement plan.

The Davenport Democrat and Republican, March 24, 1905. Pg. 10

The houses and the apartment building were sold numerous times over the years. Starting in the 1930s, several of the smaller structures were torn down due to age and condition. Some lots remained empty while others had new homes built on them. In February 1963, the apartment building built by Alexander Corbin was demolished after being condemned by the City of Davenport. The property sat empty.

With the flood of 1965, Davenport’s riverfront garbage dumps were unusable. The City created emergency garbage dumps that April in local neighborhoods on properties the City-owned. One dump was located on a City property at 11th and Gaines Street adjoining the former settlement lots. Residents protested and in May 1965 the dumping ended. In June 1965, Resolution 28,249 proposed by Alderman Larry Herington was passed resolving that no further dumping would be allowed at the 11th and Gaines Streets site, and the property would be given to the Park District.

Times-Democrat, May 11, 1965. Pg. 9

During this time, a decision was made to replace the City playground named Goose Hollow which was located right across Gaines Street from the Settlement lots. Goose Hollow was a small playground surrounded by athletic fields owned by the Davenport School District. The Parks Department rented the fields to be used for their recreation programs. A new location would allow for a larger playground and space owned and managed by the City of Davenport.

Times-Democrat, March 8, 1967. Pg. 43

The City of Davenport spent several years from the late 1960s into the 1970s purchasing the former Settlement lots that adjoined the old garbage dump (which had been reclaimed as a playground) to create the park that exists today.

Unfortunately, we have not been able to locate any pictures from the African-American Settlement. We would love to see anything that may exist from this important part of Davenport’s history.

*Other descriptions of the building say three-story. We wonder if the structure had a raised basement that might be confused in appearance with three stories.

(posted by Amy D.)

Sources:

  • Ancestry.com
  • Minutes of the Board of Park Commissioners of the City of Davenport, June 4, 1952.
  • Davenport Morning Star, August 31, 1901. Pg. 9
  • The Daily Times, September 12, 1901. Pg. 5
  • The Daily Times, September 30, 1901. Pg. 8
  • The Daily Times, October 30, 1901. Pg. 5
  • The Democrat Democrat, November 11, 1901. Pg. 5
  • Davenport Morning Star, December 17, 1901. Pg. 7
  • The Democrat Democrat, December 17, 1901. Pg. 4
  • The Daily Times, January 15, 1902. Pg. 6
  • The Daily Times, April 22, 1902. Pg. 2
  • The Democrat Democrat, April 22, 1902. Pg. 7
  • The Daily Times, August 20, 1902. Pg. 4
  • The Daily Times, August 19, 1902. Pg. 10
  • The Democrat Democrat, January 3, 1904. Pg. 14
  • The Democrat Democrat, April 22, 1904. Pg. 7
  • The Democrat Democrat, June 19, 1904. Pg. 6
  • Davenport Morning Star, August 13, 1904. Pg. 6
  • The Democrat Democrat, August 26, 1904. Pg. 4
  • Davenport Morning Star, August 28, 1904. Pg. 7
  • The Daily Times, January 13, 1905. Pg. 3
  • The Davenport Democrat and Leader, March 24, 1905. Pg. 10
  • The Davenport Democrat and Leader, May 25, 1905. Pg. 9
  • The Bystander (Des Moines, Iowa), September 4, 1914. Pg. 1
  • The Daily Times, July 25, 1916. Pg. 7
  • The Daily Times, July 22, 1920. Pg. 8
  • The Daily Times, March 24, 1931. Pg. 15
  • The Daily Times, June 14, 1939. Pg. 10
  • The Daily Times, April 11, 1952. Pg. 17
  • The Times-Democrat, April 13, 1965. Pg. 13
  • The Times-Democrat, May 20, 1965. Pg. 18
  • The Times-Democrat, June 19, 1965. Pg. 13
  • The Times-Democrat, March 8, 1967. Pg. 43
  • The Times-Democrat, March 5, 1969. Pg. 27
  • The Times-Democrat, June 5, 1969. Pg. 29
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Hostetler Hotties

Posted on February 25, 2022 by SCblogger

We’ve been uploading thousands of images from our Hostetler Studio glass negative collection to the Upper Mississippi Valley Digital Image Archive since 2004! Yes, thousands of images ranging from the mid-1890s through the mid-1920s. Did we mention thousands of images yet?

The latest images we’ve been working on are from the WWI era (1918) and we’ve definitely noticed a transition towards 1920s styles and fashion. Not only are the clothing, jewelry, and hairstyles changing, but the poses have changed as well. The photographer is moving away from head-and-shoulders profile shots to more captivating compositions. The subjects seem to be more comfortable in front of the camera, not as stiff and severe as they were in photographs from earlier in the decade.

Here are a few examples of some beautiful people captured by J.B. Hostetler at his studio, 208 Brady Street in Davenport.

George W. Scott Jr.
Duella (Soderstrom) Ryan
Felix O. Dupont & Edmond E. Hommel
Ernest Miller “Mex” Henderson
Gertrude (Schindhelm) Schmitt
Fritz A. Claussen
Matilda (Quinn) Wood
Violet (Shaw) Bruins
Grace (Exline) Kauffman Conda
Charles & Margaret (Anthony) Mooney
Margaret (Hickey) Coffee Browning
Florence (Freistat) Lee
Portraits by J.B. Hostetler, Davenport, Iowa, 1918

George W. Scott Jr.

George W. Scott Jr.’s WWI Draft Registration Card lists his birth as February 9, 1896, in Davenport and his work as a clerk for the Tri-City Railroad Company. Based on information in his obituary, published in the Times-Democrat on June 1, 1964, George Scott died May 28, 1964, in Wakefield, Michigan.

Sue (Soderstrom) Ryan

The Rock Island Argus newspaper on September 15, 1919 announced that Miss Sue Soderstrom of Moline was engaged to Harold Ryan. As all other articles refer to her as Duella, we assume that Sue may have been a nickname. Based on information in her marriage announcement, published in the Moline Dispatch on September 19, 1919, Miss Duella Soderstrom married B. Harold Ryan at her parents’ home, 1141 Fourteenth Street in Moline. Her obituary, published in the Moline Dispatch on July 20, 1964, states that Mrs. Duella Ryan was born February 15, 1898, in Moline to Mr. and Mrs. Emil Soderstrom. She was a member and past president of the East Moline American Legion Auxiliary and a member of the Short Hills Country Club and the East Moline Woman’s Club.

Felix O. Dupont & Edmond E. Hommel

Based on information in the 1918 Davenport City Directory, Felix O. Dupont worked as a repairman at the Rock Island Arsenal. The Davenport Democrat on February 4, 1919, Felix C. Dupont and Edmond E. Hommel of 122 Park Lane had both returned from service. Soon after, the Davenport Democrat on February 24, 1919, reported that Felix O. Dupont entertained at a farewell party for Edmund E. Hommel of the S.A.T.C., formerly of Boston, who enlisted in the Merchant Marine.

Felix O. Dupont’s WWI Draft Registration Card states he was born on January 1, 1889, in Worcester, Massachusetts. We find from his obituary, published in the Salt Lake Tribune on July 6, 1971, that Felix Oliver DuPont went on to marry Ellen Carrington on May 25, 1937, in Salt Lake City. He was a retired salesman for the Purity Biscuit Co. and a veteran of WWI.

Edmund Edward Hommel’s WWI Draft Registration Card shows he was born February 15, 1898, and worked as a specialist at the Rock Island Arsenal. Based on information in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, Edmund F. Hommel died December 18, 1988.

Ernest Miller “Mex” Henderson

Based on information published in the Davenport Democrat and Leader on July 14, 1918, Ernest Miller “Mex” Henderson, son of Charles R. Henderson, of 227 Forest Road in Camp McClellan was home on 10 days’ furlough from Fort Sheridan. His obituary, published in the Dayton (Ohio) Daily News on November 7, 1969, states that Ernest M. Henderson retired in 1962 from General Motors after 34 years.

Gertrude (Schindhelm) Schmitt

Based on information in the 1920 Census Gertrude Schindhelm (age 22) lived in Oxford, Jones County, Iowa, and worked as a public school teacher. Her marriage announcement, published in The Daily Times on October 6, 1927, states Gertrude H. Schindhelm married Clement J. Schmitt in Houston, Texas. We found in the Texas Death Records that Gertrude Schmitt was born May 21, 1900, in Oxford Junction, Iowa, and died May 31, 1967, in Houston, Texas.

Fritz A. Claussen

Based on information in his World War I Draft Registration Card, Fritz A. Claussen was born December 11, 1895, in Davenport and worked as a Clerk at the Rock Island Arsenal. The 1920 Census found Frederick Claussen (age 24) living with his mother Bertha (age 58) at 2215 West Second Street in Davenport and working as an electrician at the Rock Island Arsenal. His marriage announcement, published in The Daily Times on July 18, 1929, announces that Fritz A. Claussen married Miss Edythe Frances Taylor at the First Lutheran Church in Moline. Based on information in his obituary, published in the Sunday Times-Democrat on December 17, 1961, Fred Claussen had been employed as a maintenance man by McLaughlin Body Co. for 11 years, was a veteran of World War I, and a member of the East Moline American Legion Post No. 227.

Matilda (Quinn) Wood

Based on information in the 1920 Census, Matilda M. Wood (age 27) was the wife of Albert M. Wood (age 28) and they lived with Albert’s parents in Moline. Matilda’s obituary, published in The Daily Dispatch on January 12, 1949, states that Matilda Louise Quinn was born May 7, 1893, in Columbus, Ohio. She married Albert M. Wood on January 8, 1913, in Moline and she died on January 11, 1949, in Denver, Colorado.

Violet (Shaw) Bruins

Based on information in the Iowa Birth and Christenings Index, Viola Marion Shaw was born on June 10, 1899, to George M. Shaw and Julia (Eggers) Shaw. A wedding announcement, published in the Davenport Democrat and Leader on November 20, 1919, reported that Thomas J. Bruins married Miss Violet Marion Shaw, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George M. Shaw of 1708 Summit Avenue. The Iowa Marriage Records indicates that Thomas J. Bruins, son of J. Bruins and Grace Rerkas married Violet Marion Shaw in Davenport. Based on information in the 1920 United States Census, Thomas and Violet Bruins were living at that time with her parents, George M. and Julia Shaw, and her brother, George R. Shaw. The Daily Times, on September 18, 1942, reported that Thomas J. Bruins was a patrolman for the Illinois State Highway Police. On November 18, 1869 the The Moline Daily Dispatch stated that Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Bruins celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. Thomas Buins’ obituary, published in the Times-Democrat on March 25, 1970, stated he was born in Morrison, Illinois, was a retired employee of Robinson Hardware in Rock Island, and a veteran of World War I. Based on information in her obituary, published in the Moline Dispatch on July 3, 1988, Violet Bruins was born June 12, 1899, in Iowa. She had been employed at Petersen Harned Von Maur Department store. She was buried in Pine Hill Cemetery in Davenport. See also Image 17195.

Grace (Exline) Kauffman Conda

Based on information published in the Rock Island Argus on October 2, 1918, Mrs. Grace Kauffman and Louis Conda, both of Moline, were licensed to wed in Rock Island County. The Moline Dispatch reported on October 11, 1968, that Mr. and Mrs. Louis Conda were married on October 3, 1918, in Moline. Based on information in her obituary, published in The Daily Dispatch on October 20, 1982, Grace Exline married Louie Conda in 1918 in Davenport, They had been in the restaurant business 40 years, owning and operating several Moline establishments.

Charles & Margaret (Anthony) Mooney

Based on information in their marriage announcement, published in The Daily Times on May 27, 1918, Miss Margaret Anthony of Rock Island married Mr. Charles Mooney of Davenport. His obituary, published in the Times-Democrat on May 15, 1970, stated Charles L. Mooney owned the Mooney Plumbing & Heating Co. and was also full-time stage manager and electrician for the RKO Orpheum, Davenport. Based on information in her obituary, published in the Quad-City Times on February 27, 1983, Marguerite K. Mooney died at Mercy Hospital and is buried at Pine Hill Cemetery.

Margaret (Hickey) Coffee Browning

Based on information in her first marriage announcement, published in the Davenport Democrat and Leader on November 10, 1919, Miss Margaret Hickey, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. D.J. Hickey married Homer H. Coffee, son of Dr. and Mrs. O.W. Coffee in Chicago. Based on information in her second marriage announcement, published in the Davenport Democrat and Leader on December 30, 1926, Margaret Hickey Coffee, youngest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. D.J. Hickey married Joseph H. Browning of the Ambassador Hotel, Los Angeles, California. Her obituary, published in the Davenport Democrat and Leader on October 14, 1946, stated Margaret Hickey Browning was the daughter of Dennis J. and Sarah Cecilia Hickey. She was born in Davenport on May 23, 1898, and graduated from the Villa de Chantal in Rock Island and St. Mary’s college in South Bend, Indiana.

Florence (Freistat) Lee

Based on information in the 1918 Davenport City Directory, Albert W. and Florence A. Lee lived at 922 Kirkwood Boulevard. The Davenport Democrat and Leader on May 9, 1918, reported that Mrs. Florence Friestadt Lee, violinist, arranged a program with Miss Freda Schricker, pianist, in the studio of Mrs. Alice Dufton Atwill on East Second Street. Based on information on Find A Grave, Florence A. Freistat Lee was born November 21, 1886, and died May 18, 1956. She is buried at Oakdale Cemetery.

(posted by Cristina)

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Caregivers of Color in Davenport

Posted on February 19, 2022 by SCblogger

In celebration of this year’s Black History Month theme, “Black Health and Wellness,” we tell the stories of three African American healthcare providers who practiced in Davenport: General Houston, Charles William Bates, and Robert Shannon Taylor, M.D.

We have elsewhere discussed aspects of General Houston‘s eventful life; by the early 1890s he was known in Davenport primarily as a celebrated “chiropodist.” A writer for the Davenport Weekly Republican described an individual engaged in the profession as one “who removes unnatural protuberances from that part of the anatomy most directly contiguous with Mother Earth.”[1] In other words, a modern podiatrist.

Houston had formerly worked as a barber in the city, between 1870 and 1876. [2] A 1893 newspaper advertisement indicates he practiced both professions together. He promised “corns, bunions, ingrowing nails, removed without pain,” with “ladies’ work a specialty” in his “tonsorial” (hairdressing) parlors at 420 Brady Street. [3] The “human corn sheller” told a Davenport Democrat reporter that he had “extracted more corns than any other living corn doctor and has never yet caused a sore foot.” When asked exactly how many, Houston replied, “‘…bushels and bushels of them, hundreds and thousands and tens of thousands…” and added, “If they were seed corn they would be enought to sow several hundred acres of land…'”[4]

And how did the formerly-enslaved Houston become a chiropodist?

“‘My hellish master, Dr. Lem Smith, did me one good thing which he was not aware of at the time. He provided me with a living in after years, for it was he who taught me chiropody. I was taught this so that I could look after the members of his family and not for any benefit it might have proved to me.'” [4]

Houston practiced from his home at 1806 North Street (now part of Kirkwood Boulevard in East Davenport) until his death in 1910. This photograph shows him wearing his signature silk hat.

Charles “Charlie” William Bates learned chiropody in a different manner: he completed a training course either under Mrs. Alice Thompson of Muscatine, or, according to his obituary, the American School of Chiropody in Chicago. [5] He was granted a professional license, and in 1924 announced the opening of his office at his home on 406 Clark Street in West Davenport. [6] Perhaps as proprietor of a shoeshine parlor in town since 1911, Bates had developed a deeper interest in the care of the feet. Perhaps he wished to follow in the footsteps, so to speak, of General Houston the generation before: Houston’s Perry Street office in 1903 included a shoeshine and bootblacking service performed by an assistant. [2]

Dr. C. W. Bates, Davenport Democrat and Leader, August 24, 1950, page 17.

Bates was involved in a number of business ventures, including as a drycleaner and a job printer. He was the founder of the Tri-City Herald (March 1914 to February 1917), “…the first newspaper owned and controled by colored people in the three cities.” [7]

At least two of Charles and Sadie Bates’ five sons also became chiropodists: Charles W. Bates II and Stanley Blair Bates. The two had planned to open a practice together in Rock Island after returning from the Second World War. Sadly, though, Charles II died in 1948 from tuberculosis contracted while serving in the U.S. Army in England. [8] Newspaper evidence suggests that Stanley continued to maintain an office in the Manufacturer’s Trust Building in Rock Island and a residence on Esplanade Avenue in Davenport through the 1950s.

Stanley Blair Bates, Blackhawk, Davenport Central High School Yearbook, 1938
Dr. C.W. Bates, II, The Daily Times, March 15, 1948, page 8.

Davenport’s first Black physician was Robert Shannon Taylor, M.D. A graduate of the University of Nebraska and Creighton Medical College in Omaha, he was also known as an exceptional football player. Taylor’s admission to the Scott County Medical Society in October 1915 was delayed by two years because a faction opposed “…opening the door of the scientific body to the colored brother of the profession.” [9] He maintained his status in the Society and served the Davenport community from his offices on Harrison Street until his retirement in 1973.

Quad City Times, February 15, 1973, page 4.

No doubt there are many Black women in Davenport and the Quad-Cities serving as midwives, nurses, and caregivers of many sorts in the early 20th century yet to be discovered.

(posted by Katie)

1. Davenport Weekly Republican, November 12, 1901.

2. “A Davenporter with a History,” Davenport Weekly Leader, March 6, 1903, page 7.

3. The Daily Times (Davenport, Iowa), August 30, 1893, page 4.

4. “Well Known City Types,” Davenport Democrat, May 10, 1908, page 16.

5. The Daily Times (Davenport, Iowa), March 15, 1948, page 8.

6. The Daily Times (Davenport, Iowa), September 15, 1924, page 11.

7. “Colored People to Have Paper,” The Davenport Democrat and Leader, March 6, 1914, page 3.

8. The Daily Times (Davenport, Iowa), March 15, 1948, page 8.

9. The Davenport Democrat and Leader, January 7, 1915, page 11.

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Who speaks for a Calico Ball?

Posted on February 11, 2022 by SCblogger

What is a Calico Ball you ask? I did too when I came across this in a May 1883 local newspaper.

“Rock Island Briefs.” Daily Davenport (Davenport, Iowa), May 21, 1883, 4.

Turns out, a Calico Ball (alternately referred to as a Calico Dance or Party) stems from an 1855 New York City event in which women were encouraged to wear a dress made of simple calico which would be donated for the benefit of the poor after the party. When the New York Times ran the story, the idea caught on quickly and copycat dances quickly moved westward.

The first notice I could find locally was in January 1857.

The Daily Iowa State Democrat (Davenport, Iowa), Jan. 8, 1857, 3.

So now we have frocks and flannel! According to the January 10th issue, “The calico ball came off in good style last Thursday night, and we sincerely hope that the efforts of our young friends have placed the poor in more favorable circumstances.”

It seems Calico Balls evolved over time. By 1869 in Burlington, Iowa attendees were invited to the affair with “invitations printed on calico, the ladies wore calico dresses, the gentlemen wore calico neckties, the supper tables were covered with calico and everything corresponded with the occasion…”

(Davenport Democrat Thursday, April 8, 1869 p1)

Here is a broadside I found on the internet advertising a Calico Dress Ball.

The Acquisitions Table: Calico Dress Ball!

In March 1874 a Calico Party was given in Eldridge Hall with the directive “Ladies and gentlemen must appear in calico.”  There was a call in December 1875 by a newspaper editor making a plea for a Christmas or New Year’s Eve calico dance for the poor.

The Davenport Democrat (Davenport, Iowa), Dec. 4, 1875, 1.

The call appears to have gone unheard.

A Los Angeles Herald item on May 6, 1881, shared the following notable rules:

1.  Every lady must appear in calico, having a necktie or rosette made from the same material.

2. This remnant must be enclosed in an envelope [presented at the door upon entering].

3.  Each gentleman accompanied by a lady will receive a check.

4.  Gentlemen holding checks will be entitled to draw for an envelope.

5.  Each gentleman will choose the partner whose dress corresponds with the remnant in his envelope.

It seems the common ingredient to all the events was dancing, refreshments and late nights/early mornings. It seems to have become less frequently about fundraising and more about the fun. Any reason would do, even Washington’s birthday! Here is a dance card cover found on the internet followed by a 1906 Davenport event at the Turner Hall!

Liberty Hall Calico Ball on February 22.
“A Calico Party at Turner Hall.” The Davenport Democrat and Leader (Davenport, Iowa), Feb. 18, 1906, 12.

The last local notice I found was from May of 1910 when the Mutual Protective League members were invited to a calico dancing party at Prosperity Hall after a short business meeting. Ladies were requested to wear a calico dress and bring a calico tie of the same goods. Them men were to wear the ties and at the time of the grand march, those wearing the matching calico were to be partners.

So, there you have it! Perhaps this theme will prompt someone in Davenport to once more celebrate all things calico and have a ball raising funds, celebrating an event, or maybe just enjoying some dancing and refreshments while we wait for cold days and pandemics to pass.

(Posted by Karen)

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