Happy New Year from the staff at the Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center!
These images from our Davenport Parks and Recreation Department collection show locals enjoying winter weather apparently not as harsh as that of January 2018!
The photographs were taken at Duck Creek Park and Fejervary Park during the winter of 1960-1961.
Acc#2003-09 Davenport (IA) Leisure Services and Facilities, Box 52, Folders 609-610, Sheets 6-7.
Stay warm!
One hundred years ago, as December 1917 ebbed into January 1918 the United States had officially been in the Great War since April 6, 1917.
As more U.S. soldiers entered military training camps and went overseas, the need to ration food sources increased. By October 30, 1917, the State of Iowa introduced voluntary meatless and wheatless days. Pledge cards were sent to homes, restaurants, hotels, and businesses asking for participation.
The Davenport Democrat and Leader, October 24, 1917. Pg. 15.
As the months went on, updated “Home Cards” were sent to those who pledged to join the rationing. These new cards included additional items to conserve for the war effort.
The Daily Times, December 14, 1917. Pg. 8.
Food companies soon promoted their “meatless” and “wheatless” products. Many of these companies had Domestic Science Departments creating recipes that a housewife could obtain through the mail to support these days.
The Daily Times, December 14, 1917. Pg. 20.
Reminders were frequently posted in local newspapers about the United States food administration’s requests.
The Davenport Democrat and Leader, December 17, 1917. Pg. 6.
By January 1918, advertising promoting “meatless” and “wheatless” cooking to help the men on the front lines of the war was routine. Restaurants and hotels also promoted their efforts to support the war effort on the home front.
Following are examples from local Davenport newspapers of the time.
The Davenport Democrat and Leader, January 2, 1918. Pg. 9.
The Daily Times, January 7, 1918. Pg. 2.
The Davenport Democrat and Leader, January 8, 1918. Pg. 12.
The Daily Times, January 23, 1918. Pg. 9.
The Daily Times, January 28, 1918. Pg. 16.
There was one bright spot during the holidays that year.
Christmas Day and New Year’s Day fell on Tuesdays in 1917 and 1918. As turkeys were not part of “meatless” Tuesdays; those who chose to celebrate on those days with a traditional turkey dinner had no worries about depriving soldiers on the front with needed food.
A small moment of festivity during that time of uncertainty.
We wish you all a Happy New Year.
(posted by Amy D.)
Consider a gift of knowledge to the Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center this holiday season! Help us identify this circus performance at “Santa’s House” that we believe took place at the Davenport Municipal Stadium in the late 1940’s.
VM89-000401-a
VM89-002249-a
VM89-002249-b
VM89-000401-f
VM89-000401-e
VM89-000401-d
VM89-000401-c
These images from our collection are available online at the Upper Mississippi Valley Digital Image Archive.
PLEASE NOTE: All Davenport Public Library locations will be closed December 25th & 26th and January 1st & 2nd.
Happy Holidays from all of us here at the Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center!
2nd Street was the place to be for holiday shopping in Davenport, say these images from our collection, available via the Upper Mississippi Valley Digital Image Archive:
2nd Street between Brady and Main Streets, c. 1920’s (VM89-000499)
Second Street between Main and Harrison Streets, c. 1940’s (VM89-000498)
2nd Street between Brady and Main Streets, c. 1940’s (VM89-000957)
Learn more about downtown Davenport shops and department stores, such as Harned and Von Maur, below, by viewing our December display on the lower level of the Main Street Library.
Harned and Von Maur building, 223-229 West 2nd Street, c. 1890 (VM89-000846)
Articles like this one from the 18 March 1887 Morning Democrat (all of the Davenport newspapers are available at the Center on microfilm) help us trace the fascinating history of downtown business development:
As a break from your holiday shopping in downtown Davenport, drop in here at the Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center (321 Main Street) and find out how it was done in days past!
(posted by Katie)
Eldon Leroy Baxter was born on August 22, 1920 in Buffalo, Scott County, Iowa, to Jesse Burton Baxter and Mable Laura Porter. He attended the Davenport schools. As a teenager, he worked as a newspaper carrier for the Davenport Democrat, a batboy for the Davenport Blue Sox, and both a player and a coach for the W.G. Block Co. baseball team of the Davenport Park Board’s twilight league.
Mr. Baxter enlisted in the Navy on September 17, 1940 when he was twenty-one years old. He was working as a storekeeper aboard the U.S.S. West Virginia on the fateful day — December 7, 1941 — when the Japanese bombers attacked Pearl Harbor.
On December 16th , Mr. and Mrs. Baxter received a telegram from Rear Admiral C.M. Nimitz, informing them that their son had been killed in action.
Imagine the expressions of surprise and delight at 1301 Arlington Avenue, just before Christmas, when the Baxters opened this letter:
“Dear Folks:–
Yes, I still have my skin unpunctured.
I could probably write one of the greatest adventure books ever written if it were allowed.
I drove a truck for a little over a week, and yesterday I was called to take temporary duty on a new ship.
I am in G.S.K. which is like a hardware store, and I am working with a brand new bunch of swell storekeepers.
I (several words censored) I had except for a (one word censored), but I drew some clothing and things I needed yesterday.
Your son,
Eldon” [1]
Eldon Baxter returned from foreign service on October 23, 1945. He married Wilma Joyce Helbling on November 23, 1946. He was a member of the Naval Reserve and also served during the Korean War. He worked for Iowan Dairy Co., International Harvester, The Times Co., and Roederer Transfer and Storage.
Over the next 70 years, Eldon Baxter would share his firsthand account of the bombing of Pearl Harbor with other members of the Mississippi Valley chapter of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association.
Eldon Leroy Baxter died on Monday, December 4, 2017 in Davenport. [2]
[3]
—————————————————————————————————-
1.”Happy Day! Davenporters Reported Killed in Action Now Revealed Safe,” Democrat and Leader (Davenport, IA), Dec. 25, 1941.
2. Ickes, Barb,”Q-C’s Last Known ‘Pearl’ Survivor Dies,” Quad-City Times (Davenport, IA), Dec. 5, 2017.
3. Image accompanying newspaper article: Hoffman, Harvey, “It Happened 10 Years Ago, But Vets Remember Pearl Harbor,” Daily Times (Davenport, IA), Dec. 6, 1951.
The Davenport Public Library’s Main Street building in downtown Davenport celebrates it’s 50th anniversary in 2018. The mid-century modern “Library of Tomorrow” was designed by renowned architect Edward Durrell Stone, who also designed the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
Staff at the Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center compiled historic photographs and facts about Davenport to create a fundraising calendar for 2018. Calendars are available for purchase at all Davenport Public Library locations. We are currently running a special promotion for the holidays: purchase a calendar for $10 and receive a Library tote for free from December 1 – December 15!
Check out this Historypin tour featuring photographs published in our new 2018 calendar. Click on the Street View guy to see what they look like now!
It’s time! It’s time!
It is Turkey Note time!
Yes, we get very excited in the Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center right before Thanksgiving as we prepare for our annual Turkey Note blog.
If you haven’t heard about this fun Quad City tradition, please read about the history of Turkey Notes here.
For many individuals growing up in the Quad Cities, writing Turkey Notes may have been a tradition in school or at home.
I have memories of writing Turkey Notes on Thanksgiving Eve or Thanksgiving Day with my siblings. Thinking back as an adult, it was a wonderful way for us to keep busy while parents or relatives prepared for the big Thanksgiving meal.
The rules for Turkey Notes were (and still are) simple:
What do you write about in a Turkey Note? In one word – anything.
My siblings and I were always told to write a compliment or something positive about a person (they were relatives, teachers, and friends after all). We always worked to focus on a positive character trait, accomplishments, or a hobby that was enjoyed.
We have read other Turkey Notes that focus on school or sports rivalries, the turkey’s opinion on the holiday, things that have happened during the year, and even insults.
Our family tradition held that Turkey Notes were read aloud after Thanksgiving dinner started. Depending on the year, Turkey Notes were handed out by children to adults after everyone was seated or the Turkey Notes were put out beforehand as creative place cards.
We do add one word of warning about Turkey Notes. Depending on your guests’ sense of humor, handing out insulting Turkey Notes may create a very long (and uncomfortable) Thanksgiving gathering.
Now once again, Special Collections staff have created a few Turkey Notes for you to enjoy.
Turkey Red, Turkey Blue, Turkey says, “I love you!”
Turkey Oak, Turkey Birch, Turkey says, “Come to Special Collections for family research!”
Turkey Go, Turkey Come, Turkey says,”Where are you from?”
Turkey Yellows, Turkey Greens, Turkey says, “Wouldn’t you rather eat more beans?”
Turkey Turquoise, Turkey Teal, Turkey says, “Don’t eat to much of your Thanksgiving meal.”
Turkey Pie, Turkey Square, Turkey says, “Run, there’s a bear!”
Turkey Work, Turkey Play, Turkey says, “Welcome Kathryn K.!”*
And one last special Turkey Note to Bill Wundram at the Quad-City Times for keeping the Turkey Note tradition alive each year in his column:
Turkey Health, Turkey Thrive, Turkey says, “Thank you for keeping my tradition alive!”
We wonder if anyone in recent years has passed down this tradition? We would love to hear from you! Write your own Turkey Note in the comments!
Happy Thanksgiving.
(posted by Amy D.)
*The Davenport Public Library and Richardson-Sloane Special Collections staff welcome new Supervisor Kathryn Kuntz. We are excited to have her join our team!
Grace Van Evera was born January 9, 1877 in Davenport, Iowa to Charles and Henrietta Kepler. The family lived on Utica Ridge Rd. and were prominent residents of the county.
Family of Charles Van Evera, photographed by J.B. Hostetler, ca. 1910. From our Hostetler Studio Collection.
Ms. Van Evera received her education from Davenport High School, the Deaconess Training school in Chicago, and Asbury Hospital in Minneapolis. She worked in Settlements in Chicago and Girardeau, Missouri, and was in charge of the hospital in Brookings, South Dakota. After graduation, she returned home to care for her father, Charles, who had been suffering from heart disease.
Grace Van Evera joined Unit R of the hospital corps out of Fairfield, Iowa as a Red Cross nurse. In January of 1918, she left for New York, where she received training at Ellis Island, before departing to U.S. Army Base Hospital 32 in Contrexeville, France.
Grace wrote letters home to her parents, including one published in the Davenport Democrat and Leader on July 7, 1918. She reassured her parents that the nurses were “comfortable”, had “plenty to eat” and that “Uncle Sam is paying us more than living wages”
The Davenport Democrat and Leader, 07 July 1918, page 8
Upon her return from France, Grace told her story to numerous groups and organizations, including her Summit Presbyterian church, the Lend-a-Hand club, and the colored league of the Community Service Federation.
The Daily Times, 08 April 1919, p. 8
After the war, Miss Van Evera joined the staff of Davenport Visiting Nurse Association. She was appointed county nurse in charge of the Scott County Schools in October 1919 and continued until the post was abolished by the County Board of Supervisors in 1930. Her dedication to the health of the children of rural Scott County was recognized by the Iowa State Health Education Secretary in November of 1922.
The Daily Times, 07 Oct 1919, p. 8
Grace Van Evera died on May 8, 1980 in Davenport and is buried at Summit Cemetery.
(posted by Cristina)
Retired Quad-City Times local history columnist John Willard passed away on October 30th, 2017 at the age of 74. Mr. Willard frequently used our resources to do research for his weekly column, “Backward Glances” and other features.
John Michael Willard was born on March 29, 1943 in Oak Park, Illinois and grew up in Chicago. He graduated from Lyons Township High School (La Grange, IL) in 1961. After high school, John attended the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, where he majored in English and participated in ROTC.
Second Lieutenant Willard served 22 months in Korea, writing intelligence and propaganda stories. He volunteered for Vietnam, arriving just before the Tet Offensive of 1968.
Ancestry.com. U.S., School Yearbooks, 1880-2012 [database on-line]; Tabulae 1961, Lyons Township High School, La Grange, IL
Willard started out as a general assignment reporter, covering Davenport Police, City Hall and Scott County government. He was soon writing feature stories on local historical figures, events and landmarks. His favorite topics to write about were historic buildings, musicians, veterans, and minorities.
John Willard retired from the Quad-City Times in 2007 after 34 years of service. Over the last ten years he continued to write guest columns for the newspaper.
“[…] history in the news, history in the familiar (such as a local landmark), history that touches lives and triggers memories.”
(posted by Cristina)
Gaul, A. (2007, February 13). ‘The complete reporter’: Willard to retire after 36 years at Q-C Times. Quad-City Times, p. D1.
Gaul, A. (2017, November 2). Reporter told stories of Q-C people, places. Quad-City Times, p. A3.
John M. Willard. (2017, November 2). Quad-City Times, p. A8.
U.S., School Yearbooks, 1880-2012 [database online]; Tabulae. (1961). Retrieved from Ancestry.com.
US Army Military Registers, 1798-1969. (1969). Retrieved from Fold3.
It was on the morning of October 7, 1869 that the body of Friedrich “Fritz” Ehrig was found in the bottom of the cistern in the churchyard of St. Anthony’s Church in Davenport. Mr. Ehrig had been a well-respected and well-known local citizen. He was a married man with five young children, a successful store clerk, retired Secretary of the School Board, and member of several local fraternities.
Even more shocking was the Coroner’s Inquest that concluded Mr. Ehrig been murdered. Struck on the back of the head, rendered most likely unconscious, and then thrown in the cistern where he drowned. Who would do such a horrible thing to such an upstanding man?
It appeared there were no answers to who would murder Fritz Ehrig or why.
Two and a half years later, Davenporters opened their papers to astonishing headlines. A letter had been sent the Davenport Police Department from Sergeant Henry Strecker of the Toledo, Ohio Police Department. The letter was printed in the Davenport Daily Gazette on February 6, 1872 for the public to read.
Sergeant Strecker inquired if a man named Erich (Ehrig) had been murdered and thrown into a well in Davenport about two years ago. Strecker asked if there was a motive or a person who was considered suspicious. He also wondered if the murder was committed by the use of a cane. If yes, to please provide him with the details including information on a reward.
While the letter, of course, was a surprise. What followed in the Davenport Daily Gazette and the Daily Davenport Democrat was probably shocking to many.
Though the letter provided no names as to who may have spoken to the Toledo, Ohio police about the murder; the Gazette and Democrat provided their own theory on the murder of Fritz Ehrig and the whispers that had apparently been going around Davenport for years.
According to the newspapers, after leaving his friend on the corner of Brady and 5th Streets on the night of his murder Mr. Ehrig may have been going to pay a visit to a widowed woman of “doubtful virtue” (later identified as widow Cora West) who lived with her children and a man named James Alcott*. The couple lived as husband and wife in an apartment on the northwest corner of Brady and 4th Streets neat St. Anthony’s Church.
Mr. Alcott, in 1869, worked for the Davenport Daily Gazette, as a printer. He had met Cora while working for a newspaper in Rock Island and moved in with her. A fight between the couple caused her to move with her children to Davenport where she made the “acquaintance of a number of men” before getting back together with Mr. Alcott and moving into the apartment at Brady and 4th Streets.
James Alcott worked both day and night shifts at the newspaper.
It was theorized that Mr. Alcott had returned home sooner than expected and found Mr. Ehrig visiting Cora. It was thought that he struck Ehrig in the head causing him to fall down a flight of stairs. Thinking he had killed the man, Mr. Alcott and Cora carried the body to the nearby church cistern and threw the body in.
Mr. Alcott continued working at the Gazette, probably printing stories of Mr. Ehrig’s murder and inquest, before suddenly leaving town with Cora and her children about one or two weeks later.
The family eventually moved to Des Moines, Iowa where he was hired by the Des Moines Register newspaper. Nothing more was heard from the couple until the fall of 1871 when Cora suddenly appeared in Davenport looking for James Alcott. She was said to have stated the pair had fought in Des Moines. Mr. Alcott had become drunk and enraged. In the process smashing all of their furniture before leaving town.
Cora left town after finding that Mr. Alcott had not returned to Davenport.
The Gazette stated that many employees had been suspicious of Mr. Alcott after the murder, but declined to say anything for fear of upsetting his family.
As for Mr. Alcott and Cora, it was unknown where they were living. The Gazette assumed that the person who spoke to the Toledo Police Department was the Mrs. West, but rumor had it that Mr. Alcott was still in Des Moines working as a printer.
It was assumed that once they were found, Mr. Alcott and Mrs. West would be arrested for the murder of Mr. Ehrig.
The murder of Mr. Ehrig continued to have unexpected twists and turns as the Davenport Daily Democrat printed on February 9, 1872 that the newspaper reporters had been misled on the case and owed Mr. Alcott an apology. The article even carried an interview from the Des Moines Register in which James Alcott denied being involved in the murder of Fritz Ehrig and he was tired of being followed about the matter.
After that, the case went quite once again.
Until April 1874.
On April 23rd, the Davenport Daily Gazette printed the Ehrig murder was once again being investigated due to the dedication of Mr. Ehrig’s friends who would not let the matter be forgotten. After the articles in February 1872, Mr. Alcott threatened to sue the Gazette for slander. He also indicated Mr. J. W. Hasson from the Gazette and Mr. S. S. Drake from the Democrat had started the stories of his involvement. Mr. Alcott also stated on the night of the murder it was Mr. Hasson who left work early from the Gazette office, not himself.
The Gazette reported it had received a letter from Missouri stating that James Alcott had left Des Moines and Cora during the winter of 1873. He was now deranged and penniless in Missouri. Not everyone believed that letter though. Many felt Mr. Alcott had it sent to throw everyone off his trail.
On April 20, 1874 a Mr. William Poole, a local grocer, was given a warrant to arrest Mr. Alcott and his wife in Des Moines. When he arrived, he found Mrs. West and arrested her, but Mr. Alcott was gone. Once the train arrived in Davenport, Mrs. West placed in jail.
It was learned that Mr. Alcott was in La Salle, Illinois and Police Officer William Niles was sent to arrest him.
And then the case took a turn – again.
The person who spoke to the police in Toledo, Ohio in 1872 was finally identified as Elizabeth Fritzfeldt. As a young German immigrant, she moved to Davenport with her sister and both were hired to work in the household of Dr. Rudolph Alberti and his family.
Now living in Toledo, Ohio and working for a new family, Elizabeth accused Dr. Alberti of the murder of Fritz Ehrig. After speaking with police, detectives were sent to Milwaukee, Wisconsin where they located Dr. Alberti and brought him back to Davenport.
James Alcott was forgotten.
By April 30th, Dr. Alberti was in jail awaiting trial for the murder of Fritz Ehrig in 1869. His family followed him to Davenport and stayed with friends.
The new theory in the murder of Mr. Ehrig was that Dr. Alberti also intended visiting Mrs. West on the night of the murder. He and Ehrig ran into each other and a fight ensued. Dr. Alberti had pushed Mr. Ehrig and he fell down the outer steps of the apartment building hitting his head in the process. Panicking, Dr. Alberti and Cora disposed of the body in the cistern.
Dr. Alberti had been a physician in Davenport in 1869. He left the area soon after the Ehrig murder, sending for his family a few months later. Miss Fritzfeldt stated that the doctor had gone out the night of the murder and returned upset and had thrown a broken cane on top of cabinets in the kitchen. Elizabeth felt something was not right, so she stored the broken cane in her trunk. Elizabeth followed the family, but eventually left them and was hired into a new household in Toledo.
The trial of Dr. Alberti began about April 30, 1874. Dr. Alberti, his wife, and friends testified that Dr. Alberti had planned to leave Davenport several months before the murder. He had even sold items from his medical practice and begun packing before October 1869.
Testimony during the trial reported that the doctor had been called out on a medical visit the evening of October 6 into October 7, 1869. He was known to carry canes and sometimes they broke. Dr. Alberti was acquainted with Mr. Ehrig and had gone over to the churchyard to offer assistance as he was passing by when the body was removed from the cistern. His offer of help was declined as the coroner had already been summoned.
The most interesting part of the trial was the questioning of William Pool, the grocer who had been allowed to arrest Mrs. West in Des Moines. He stated that on the day of the murder he found hair on the outer steps leading to the Alcott apartment. He collected the hair and compared it to Mr. Ehrig’s and it matched. He said some of the steps looked like they had been cleaned.
Mr. Pool did not testify in front of the Coroner’s Inquest in 1869.
No evidence was presented that Dr. Alberti knew Mrs. West, had fled the city, or knew anything about the murder of Fritz Ehrig.
A verdict of not guilty was quickly pronounced and Dr. Alberti went free.
As an afterthought, Mrs. West was released from prison as well as she was accused of being an accessory in helping Dr. Alberti dispose of Mr. Ehrig’s body. As Dr. Alberti was innocent, she would not be tried for her guilt.
And then, we believe, the case grew cold. Mr. Alcott was never arrested and brought in for questioning. We have not been able to find any evidence anyone was ever charged with the murder of Fritz Ehrig. It is a cold case indeed.
What happened to the people involved with this murder? We have a few answers, but not all.
Mrs. Ehrig lived near Fourth and Warren Streets for many years working as a laundress to support her children. She eventually moved with her children to Council Bluffs, Iowa. She died there, still a widow, on February 8, 1887. She is buried in a local Council Bluffs cemetery.
Dr. Alberti decided Davenport was just the place he wanted to live in after all. He moved back with his family and practiced medicine. He died in Davenport on January 17, 1898. His obituaries do not mention his involvement in the Ehrig case.
James W. Alcott was born in Vermont and had been in the Civil War. He lived as a single man, never getting back together with Cora West. He eventually moved into a home for disabled soldiers in Togus, Maine. He died May 1, 1905 and is buried in Togus National Cemetery.
Ellen Cora Carley West is last located in 1880 living in Des Moines, Iowa as a housekeeper in a house of ill-fame. A death record has not been found yet for her.
We will continue to look to see if this case was ever solved, but for now it appears to remain a mystery.
(posted by Amy D.)
*Spellings of the last name varied including Alcott, Olcutt, and Olcott in different newspapers and records.
Sources:
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