In our collections, we preserve the past for present and future users. In some cases, when we receive donations, our donors are unable to share information pertinent to identifying and describing the materials. Thus our efforts to share our history are sometimes has gaps and need more research.
With some material formats like photographs, we are able to identify basic information such as general age of the individual, the time period the photograph was taken by clothing and hair styles, and how the individuals are positioned. This information is vital when sharing information about photographs, but names are able to connect the past to the present in a more meaningful way.
As we make materials like these in our collections available, we call upon our community to solve mysteries.
One such mystery is of fourteen small oval images of different people set in definite rows in this unusual image. There are faint lines which seem to connect some of the photographs. The attire and hairstyles worn in these images appears to be much earlier than 1900. The original negative envelope is labeled Ettie Hirsch, but no definitive information was found on the name Ettie Hirsch nor was any connection to the fourteen images established.
This images comes from our J.B. Hostetler Photograph Collection. If you know any of the people in this image, please contact Special Collections staff at specialcollections@davenportlibrary.com.
Not only do we encourage you to join the Davenport Public Library’s “QCMade” events for a behind-the-scenes look at the places where local goods are created in present-day Davenport and surroundings, but also to visit us at the Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center (and watch this blog) to learn about products manufactured here in the past.
Did you know that the F. J. Stahmer Shoe Company was the largest producer of wooden-soled shoes in the country, possibly the world, in the 1920s? The factory at 2351 Boies Avenue is shown in these three images from RSSCC Collection #2015-34:
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By 1928, a shop of 20 workers made 360 pairs of shoes per day. [1] The sole and heel sections of the shoes, seen stacked above, were cut as one by machine from thick pieces of southern soft maple. They were specially designed for workers in “…packing houses, candy and ice cream factories, soft drink breweries, canneries and farms,” providing protection from the heat, cold, wet, and even acid. [2]
Frank J. Stahmer was involved in the shoe business as early as 1899, when he and Julius Bremer bought out John C. Stahmer & Brothers (no relation determined) at 3rd and Fillmore. [3]
Davenport Daily Leader, April 10, 1903
Over the next few years he had stores on Brady, 127 East 2nd Street, and possibly elsewhere. He joined forces with Lester Vanderslice about 1913, and in late 1917, Vanderslice-Stahmer Shoe Company sold off the “agency end” of their business, retaining only the wooden-sole shoe factory at 213-215 East 2nd Street. [4]
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The factory moved to the new facility on Boies Avenue in 1920.
Frank J. Stahmer died suddenly in 1927 at the age of 49, leaving control of the business to his 23-year-old daughter Ella.
The Iowa District News, May 1927
Davenport Democrat and Leader, February 26, 1928
(posted by Katie)
[1] Davenport Democrat and Leader, February 26, 1928.
[2] Davenport Democrat and Leader, March 10, 1920.
As the sun rose on the morning of August 3, 1978, local Davenport newspapers predicated an exceptionally mild day in the 70s. A break from the normal blistering heat of an Iowa summer. Many people probably felt it was a good day to go out and run errands or just enjoy the summer at a pool or on the Mississippi River.
90-year-old Clara Schiele was beginning her day at 1416 Main Street. This section of Main Street was filled with older Victorian homes. Many of the homes, like Clara’s, had been converted from single-family residences to apartments or rooms to rent. Clara rented rooms to students attending nearby Palmer Chiropractic College. “Her boys,” as neighbors said she called her roomers, not only helped her afford the upkeep on the large home her family had owned since 1903, but also provided her with a sense of safety and she loved to hear about their lives. Clara had never married or had children and was the last surviving member of her immediate family. Her roomers, neighbors, and nearby church kept her active and social. She was described as very lively, kind, and always one to share a cheerful laugh by those who knew her.
The Quad-City Times, August 5, 1978. Pg. 3.
Clara left her house that morning for a women’s Bible study group at the nearby St. Paul Lutheran Church. Afterward, she took a bus downtown to eat a light lunch and stop at the grocery store before heading home. It was about 2:00 p.m. when she walked up her front sidewalk and climbed the porch stairs to her front door. Clara had a grocery bag in her arms along with her purse. Suddenly, a young man appeared and snatched Clara’s purse. The force of his action caused her to fall and hit her head on the cement. The man quickly ran off with the purse which contained about $20.
Clara was able to get inside and call her neighbor, Martha McGinnis, for help. Mrs. McGinnis later told police that at first Clara seemed ok and resisted Martha’s attempts to get her to go to the hospital to be examined. She wanted to wait for her favorite roomer to come home before making any decisions. At about 4:00 pm, Clara started to become nauseous, disoriented, and then began vomiting. Martha called for an ambulance. Clara died shortly after midnight on August 4th from a fractured skull.
The Davenport Democrat and Leader, December 2, 1926. Pg. 16.
Clara was unconscious when she arrived at the hospital. The Davenport Police Department responded to the hospital when called and began an investigation. They interviewed neighbors and anyone working in the neighborhood who might have seen something as they were never able to speak with Clara. It would be a telephone repair man working down the street who reported he saw a young male figure walking in the neighborhood around the time of the purse snatching. He was wearing a jacket that was described as shiny with a wet look to it and jeans or darker-colored pants. Martha said Clara had described a young male in his teens or early twenties with a stocking over his face. He had thin arms, but a stocky chest. It was very little to go on.
Clara’s roomers and neighbors were in shock that this cheerful woman had been mugged at 2:00 in the afternoon. Everyone grieved the loss of this kind and generous woman.
Clara Elizabeth Catherine Schiele was born on January 8, 1888, in Farmington, Cedar County, Iowa. She was the youngest of six children and the only girl born to Charles and Elizabeth (Bernick) Schiele. Her family farmed until about 1903 in Cedar County. Not much is known of her younger years, but the 1940s U.S. Census indicates she had two years of college education.
The Daily Times, November 30, 1909. Pg. 6.
Upon their retirement, her parents moved into the house at 1416 Main Street. They soon began to rent rooms out to boarders. Clara had moved with them and quickly became involved with walking clubs and service organizations at St. Paul’s English Lutheran Church (now St. Paul Lutheran Church) while assisting her mother at home.
Clara lived at 1416 Main Street until about 1933. After her parents’ deaths, the house was rented to the Fred Martens family. Clara moved by herself to a house at 225 E. 6th Street. She would return to 1416 Main in about 1948. Clara worked as a draftsperson at the Rock Island Arsenal during World War II. It appears in her later life, her main income came from her roomers and by renting the house at 225 E. 6th and renting other properties she owned.
The Daily Times, August 4, 1939. Pg. 5.
At the time of her death, Clara was a fifty-year member of the Order of the Eastern Star, member of the St. Paul Lutheran Church Mae Rohlff Circle, member of the Cedar County Historical Society, and the Blackhawk Hiking Club. She had previously been involved with the St. Paul Lutheran Church Cradle Roll, St. Paul’s Young Ladies’ Home and Foreign Missionary Society, St. Paul Sash Drill, and the Esther Circle of King’s Daughters along with other numerous organizations.
Clara was buried with her parents and several siblings at the Durant Cemetery in Durant, Muscatine County, Iowa after a well-attended funeral at St. Paul Lutheran Church.
No one was ever arrested for the purse snatching and death of Clara Schiele. The Davenport Police Department still investigates any leads that are given to them on this unsolved case.
The Davenport Public Library is pleased to have architectural historian and guide Ellen Shapley back to offer her “The Heart of Downtown Davenport: Architectural Styles and Stories” walking tours. During the kick-off tour, she described some of the “building booms” (periods when many buildings are being built) experienced by the city. One of these was in full swing exactly a century ago. The design firm behind many of the new projects underway in the summer of 1923 was Clausen & Kruse Architects.
Davenport Democrat and Leader, November 19, 1923, page 27
By the end of May 1923, the structure of the new Democrat newspaper building at 409-413 Brady Street had begun rise from its freshly-poured concrete foundation; contractors John Soller & Sons predicted construction would be completed by November. The “substantial yet ornamental” building promised to be the “last word in architectural newspaper construction and the “acme of the builder’s art” because Clausen & Kruse had carefully researched the successful and unsuccessful features the of other area newspaper plants before drawing up their plans (Davenport Democrat and Leader, May 20, 1923, page 20).
This image from our J.B. Hostetler Collection shows the Democrat building when it opened in 1924:
The evening of Tuesday, June 5th brought the formal opening of the Lend-A-Hand Club on Front Street, another Clausen & Kruse-designed building. These two images are from Special Collections’ postcard collection:
Later in June, Clausen & Kruse’s addition to the Davenport Public Library opened to the public. This interior view was published on page 12 of the Davenport Democrat and Leader for June 20, 1923:
And this exterior view is available from our image collection (#VM89-000460):
In early July, Clausen & Kruse were awarded the contract to build the two new schools that would come to be named the Hayes and Garfield elementary schools. This photograph was published in the Daily Times on December 31, 1924:
According to the July 2, 1923 edition of the Daily Times (page 4), the Clausen & Kruse-designed Masonic Temple at 7th and Main Streets was nearly complete: just a few interior plaster decorations, some electrial work, and landscaping remained. Another image from our postcard collection:
Our Ephemera Collection includes this informational brochure distributed to the Masons when their building opened in November of 1923:
Said the caption for the above portraits in the Davenport Democrat and Leader, November 19, 1923, page 27, “It is a fact worthy of note that both Mr. Clausen and Mr. Kruse are prominent Masons and took a deep personal pride in making the new Temple the finest exclusively Masonic building in the west.”
Another fraternal society, Davenport Aerie No. 235 Fraternal Order of Eagles, entrusted Clausen & Kruse with its new building at 4th and Scott Streets. The architects were present at an August meeting (Daily Times, August 31, 1923, page 16) to update society members on the project’s progress. Today this building is better known as the home of the Danceland Ballroom. This c. 1980s sale brochure for the property is included in our Ephemera Collection:
The firm of Clausen & Kruse also completed drawings for the Credit Island Lodge in August 1923. See Special Collections’ May 2013 blog post on the Lodge for more information and a look at the blueprints from our Architectural Drawings collection.
The RSSC Center’s Architectural Drawings collection also includes plans for another Clausen & Kruse building under construction in the summer of 1923: a warehouse for the Builders’ Lime and Cement Company at the corner of Front St. (W. River Dr.) and Western Avenue, now home to the Davenport Printing Company.
Priester Construction Company Architectural Drawings, 2009-10, Project No. 70
Please join us for one of the next downtown Davenport walking tours on Monday, August 7th at 6PM, Monday September 11 at 6PM, ore Saturday, October 21st at 10AM to learn more about the work of Clausen & Kruse and other local architects.
It was on July 9, 1993 that the Mississippi River crested at 22.63 feet at Lock and Dam 15. That broke the previous record set on April 28, 1965 of 22.48 feet. Most people who saw the 1993 flood thought that crest would not be passed, but it was when the Mississippi River crested on May 2, 2019 at 22.70 feet.*
We wrote a blog on the ’93 flood for the 25th Anniversary that may be found here; it provides details on the flood and the events that led up to it. As more photographs have come into our collection and the Davenport Police Historic Association has been kind enough to share their images of the flood with us, we thought we would post new photographs from this monumental event.
Photo courtesy of the Davenport Police Historic Association. Image from the Garden Addition in West Davenport. Image was taken from an airplane.
Photo taken by Davenport Public Works. Ground view of the Garden Addition in West Davenport. July 4, 1993.
Public Works photo was taken July 12, 1993, at Pansy Avenue and Floral Lane in West Davenport. This area is now Blackhawk Garden Park.
Photo courtesy of the Davenport Police Historic Association. Facing Third Street. The Quad-City Times building is on the right side with water almost to the building. The blue and white building on the right was the Best Western Riverview Inn (building now demolished). The gravel and cement buildings in the lower front of the picture indicate the edge of the river and levee. Image was taken from an airplane.
Photo courtesy of the Davenport Police Historic Association. Main Street and levee. The Dillon Fountain is in the lower front of the picture. The historic Levee Inn (then the Iowa Pork Shop) is in the upper right area. The President Riverboat entryway is in the upper section of the photo. The President Riverboat was moved prior to the flood for safety. Image was taken from an airplane.
2008-28. Image 349. Box 53. CPED Collection. Image looking west on River Drive. Dillon Fountain is in the middle of the picture.
2008-28. Image 323. Box 53. CPED Collection. Image looking east. John O’Donnell Stadium (now Modern Woodmen Park) is on the right in the image.
2008-28. Image 323. box 53. CPED Collection. Looking from the Centennial Bridge toward downtown Davenport. The trees mark the levee area next to the Mississippi River.
Photo courtesy of the Davenport Police Historic Association. Image showing the Iowa-American Water building and the Lindsay boat docks. Image was taken from an airplane.
Photo courtesy of the Davenport Police Historic Association. The Lindsay boat docks and the intersection of River Drive and Mound Street in the East Village of Davenport. The extensive temporary berm to hold back flood waters covered in white tarps is seen. Image was taken from an airplane.
Image taken by City of Davenport Public Works Department. Facing River Drive and Mound Street with a temporary berm to hold back water.
Images from Raging River by Bill Wundram with pictures from the Quad-City Times. SC977.769 Wun. Photos showing the rising river against the Iowa Pork Shop (formerly the Levee Inn) located next to the Mississippi River on the levee.
2008-28. Image 321. Box 53. CPED Collection. Perhaps the most iconic image used by national news broadcasts during the flood. The completely flooded John O-Donnell baseball stadium (now Modern Woodmen Park).
To find more blogs, please type the word floods into our keyword search box. We hope you enjoyed looking back at this historic event. We find the images not only amazing for the flood waters, but it is also interesting to look at how Davenport has changed over the past thirty years.
(posted by Amy D.)
*The May 2, 2019 crest was the third crest of 2019. An April 8, 2019 crest of 20.68 is ranked the 11th highest crest at Lock and Dam 15 in Rock Island, IL. The crest on June 1, 2019 reached 21.68 feet and is currently ranked 6th in flooding history. The flood of 2019 also holds the record for days of continual flooding at Lock and Dam 15 with 51 days being at or above flood stage of 18 feet.
The Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Department has shelves filled with the amazing history of Davenport and Scott County, Iowa. One small collection is from the Davenport Police Department (1990-04) and includes ledgers for police blotters, roll call, and Matron’s Records. A set of three books in that collection contain the names of those who used the services of the Lodgers Room inside the police department.
The Davenport Police Collection, 1990-04.
Sometimes referred to as the “Tramp” room in local newspapers, this facility was housed in the basement of the police department. It was initially one large room with basic wooden bunks built in. The lodgers at the police station were men while women and children would be housed with the Matron at the police barn on the corner of Main and 5th Streets (today the address is 130 W. 5th Street).
With the opening of the new City Hall in Davenport in 1896, the Davenport Police Station was on the first floor while the tramp room was located in the basement. In previous Davenport police station buildings, the tramp room was similarly located in the basements.
The Davenport Police Collection, 1990-04.
If you found yourself in Davenport with no place to stay, you could go to the police station and ask to be housed in the tramp room. You provided your name and gave over your possessions which were recorded and returned to you the next morning. No meals were served, but for many travelers, it was a safer alternative to sleeping outside; especially when faced with Iowa weather.
Initially, no blankets were provided, but later newspapers mention warm blankets on the bunks being a comfort during Iowa winters. Those who used the room may have been traveling through on their way to other places. Some were people in-between lodgings. Others may have been allowed to sleep in the tramp room if they were not sober as an alternative to jail.
The “Lodgers” volumes run from 1 Aug 1910 – 31 Aug 1922; 1 Sept 1922 – 19 May 1931; and 20 May 1931 – 20 May 1940. With less use and the need for more room for offices in City Hall, it is believed the tramp room was phased out by the 1950s.
These books are simply lists of names and dates but are interesting to study as one is able to see how needs changed with the seasons and the years. Summer numbers may have been lower than those in the winter and different years saw different numbers of lodgers. The Great Depression saw an increase in the number of lodgers after several years of decline in the 1920s.
The Davenport Democrat, March 22, 1931.
Nothing remains of the tramp room at City Hall or the old Police Ambulance/Police Matron’s building. We know there is much more we will be able to learn on the subject with the help of this collection.
This week kicks off more summer activities encouraging the community to get outdoors together to explore the world around us. For the last few years, the City of Davenport has been hosting “Party in the Park” in neighborhood parks to showcase City and community resources and services as well as get individuals and families into their local parks. We visited Lafayette Park this week to start the festivities!
The history of this park began in 1839 when it was dedicated for “park purposes” by Antoine Le Claire. Lafayette Square, as it was dedicated, was one of three squares of green or natural spaces for the original town of Davenport. The other squares were named Washington and Bolivar according to a plat map of Davenport drawn on May 14, 1836, by Major William Gordon. Although in 1839, only Lafayette and Washington Squares officially became the first two parks in Davenport.
Lafayette Square is situated between Fourth and Fifth Streets and Brown and Gaines Streets. It is roughly a 2-acre urban park located at 700 West 4th Street.
Around the time of developing the city, a renewed interest in Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, better known by “Lafayette” as a French aristocrat and military officer who fought in the American Revolutionary War, commanding American troops in several battles, including the Siege of Yorktown. After the Revolution, he returned in 1824 for a triumphal tour of the United States according to the article, “Early Davenport Honored Lafayette by Naming Square” published on June 30, 1956, in The Daily Times.
“Early Davenport Honored Lafayette by Naming Square.” The Daily Times (Davenport, Iowa), Jun. 30, 1956, page 9.
The City’s parks system appears to be on pause until 1885-1890 when additional parks began to be added and the establishment of the Board of Park Commissioners with A. W. Vander Veer, F. H. Griggs, and Christian Toerring as its first commissioners. The city’s citizens were advocating for “a glimpse of verdure and [to] enjoy a breath of fresh air” in one of the articles featured below entitled, “A City Park” published on August 3, 1867, in The Morning Democrat.
“A City Park.” The Morning Democrat (Davenport, Iowa), Aug. 3, 1867, page 4.
In The Daily Times, the newspaper reports that the City has “37 acres devoted to parks” including Lafayette and Central Park (now Vander Veer) purchased in 1885.
The Daily Times (Davenport, Iowa), Mar. 1, 1888, page 2.
Lafayette Square received an update of a cast iron drinking fountain to hydrate its frequent visitors. This addition happened on June 8, 1899, according to The Daily Times.
The Daily Times (Davenport, Iowa), Jun. 8, 1899, page 5.
As the city entered the early 20th century, the use of its parks featured some of its youngest residents. They used the new playgrounds established in a few of Davenport’s parks to enjoy nature in the city.
In the 1920s, this trend of playgrounds at city parks continued. The City and its various associations used the playground model at four of its parks. In 1921, Davenport Playgrounds Association/Commission voted to turn playgrounds over to the city for operations. According to an article published on June 29, 1923, “all attendance records shattered at city playgrounds.”
“All Attendance Records Smashed at Playground.” The Daily Times (Davenport, Iowa), Jun. 29, 1923.
“Children Present Fine Program at Lafayette Square.” The Daily Times (Davenport, Iowa), Aug. 26, 1922, page 7.
In the 1940s, Lafayette Park and Playground saw the addition of a wading pool. In the picture below, one can see a group of children and a few mothers enjoying the water on a sunny day.
Wading Pool at LaFayette [Square] Park, 1944
At the end of the decade, the City inventoried its parks. Lafayette featured a backstop for softball, a jungle gym, a concrete wading pool, a concrete sandbox, and a large swing set of 6. Unfortunately, the wading pool was converted into a spray park and eventually removed in 1950.
From the 1950s to the present day, Lafayette Park was used to house a number of summertime playground activities including Junior Theater Show Wagon, fun contests, and little league baseball. The softball field and basketball court were used by the community. There were also design plans to update sections of the park and flora, including a bid for new trees.
In 1970, the Board of Park Commissioners celebrated its 80th Anniversary. They reminisced about the beginnings of the commission back in 1890 which only had 3 parks they had to manage.
In 2010, the Parks and Recreation Department added a historically compatible sign and a new ADA-compatible playground.
The Davenport Public Library’s OWL and Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center celebrated the second oldest park in Davenport & its location in a Historic District by attending “Party in the Park!” We hope you all get to enjoy nature in Davenport and the rest of the Quad Cities this summer!
Historic Preservation Commission and the Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center
The Davenport Public Library Outreach Staff
The OWL of The Davenport Public Library!
(posted by Kathryn)
Bibliography
“All Attendance Records Smashed at Playground.” The Daily Times (Davenport, Iowa), Jun. 29, 1923.
“Children Present Fine Program at Lafayette Square.” The Daily Times (Davenport, Iowa), Aug. 26, 1922, page 7.
“A City Park.” The Morning Democrat (Davenport, Iowa), Aug. 3, 1867, page 4.
The Daily Times (Davenport, Iowa), Mar. 1, 1888, page 2.
The Daily Times (Davenport, Iowa), Jun. 8, 1899, page 5.
“Davenport’s Junior Citizens find much to Amuse them at Lafayette Square Playground.” The Daily Times (Davenport, Iowa), Jul. 16, 1919.
“Early Davenport Honored Lafayette by Naming Square.” The Daily Times (Davenport, Iowa), Jun. 30, 1956, page 9.
“Lafayette to be finest of playgrounds.” The Davenport Democrat and Leader (Davenport, Iowa), July 11, 1918, page 10.
For the safety of our staff and patrons, the Davenport Public Library – Main Street Branch will be closed until further notice as the City of Davenport deals with the unexpected partial collapse of the Davenport Apartments located across the street.*
A previous blog about the history of the Hotel Davenport, now the Davenport Apartments, is located here.
If you are looking for some exciting things to do, we have some events happening on Saturday, June 3rd.
The Q-C History Hop: Center for Belgian Culture will be held from 9:30 – 11:30 am off-site at the Belgian Museum & Gift Shop, 1608 Seventh Street, Moline, IL 61265. This program does require registration which may be found on our Calendar of Events under Programs and Events or click here for more information or to register.
The Scott County Iowa Genealogical Society: Inspiration for Discovering and Writing Your Family’s History will be held at Eastern Branch in Meeting Room A from 1:00 – 3:00 pm. This program has an in-person or virtual option. Please click here for more information or the link to the virtual program.
The Davenport Public Library will be closed on Memorial Day. Please join us in remembering those who gave their lives so that we could have the opportunity to live ours in freedom.
We came across this unusual ad from the Davenport Democrat and Leader from September 12, 1922.
We researched and found a John Flanagan of Davenport, Iowa applied for a patent for his Lifting-Jack on June 9, 1919, with the application being approved on January 27, 1920. The patent expired in 1937.
This led us to explore other inventions from Davenport. Some still impact us today, while others may not have caught on as initially hoped by their creators.
The Davenport Democrat and Leader, February 9, 1914. Pg. 12
This stove lid featured in 1914 would retain heat and save a family money. Even better, it was invented by Davenport people with Davenport money!
The Davenport Democrat and Leader, November 27, 1921. Pg. 17
A. F. Victor of Victor Animatograph Company in Davenport came up with the idea of a movie slide projector that could be used in schools and churches where it wasn’t very dark. His concept is still used today. Two years later, the company released a 16 mm camera and movie projector which was an even greater success.
The Davenport Democrat and Leader, January 27, 1924. Pg. 32
Frank McElroy, a railroad conductor from Davenport, came up with a wonderful invention, an automatic shoe-shining machine that only cost a penny. We don’t know how successful this invention was, but it was featured in Popular Mechanics Magazine in February 1924!
The Davenport Democrat and Leader, August 13, 1926. Pg. 3
Owen R. Dailey of Davenport created this mystery case. At first, it appears to be a mirror, but then it suddenly changes to a display case. The idea of the cabinet is a person would approach and see an ordinary mirror then suddenly the lights would go on to show a living person or mannequin displaying clothing. Other store merchandise could be put on display in the case as well. Mr. Dailey would take out many patents over the years from toys to automotive parts before his death on February 29, 1952, in Rockford, IL.
The Daily Times, December 22, 1928. Pg. 5
What more needs to be said? Yes, the first bakery bread slicer was invented in Davenport, Iowa. The 1928 machine is in the collection of the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D. C. Thank you Oscar F. Rohwedder for making our everyday lives easier.
The Times-Democrat, December 31, 1967. Pg. 22The Times-Democrat, January 3, 1969. Pg. 22
Not really an invention in the traditional sense, but we also wanted to include a recipe created in Davenport. Al’s Lounge at 826 E. River Drive in Davenport was operated by Al Grandinetti for forty years. It was in the 1960s that Al began to promote his wineburger (and his wineburger with cheese) to his customers. To go with your wineburger, you could be served at the longest bar in the Midwest (according to Al) or enjoy Go-Go dancers in the 1960s and early 1970s with live music. In case you had trouble finding the establishment, Al placed a large Volkswagen Bug automobile on the roof. Al Grandinetti understood the art of promoting a business.
Al’s Lounge was across the street from the Robin Hood Flour Mill. While the mill has been gone since the 1975 explosion, Al’s building still stands and is currently a convenience and liquor store.
Maybe some of these inventions have sparked your own creativity. The Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center in the Davenport Public Library – Main Street Branch is part of the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP). Not only do we have access to federal government documents, but our department is an all-electric designated U. S. Patent and Trademark Resource Center with support from the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Feel free to contact 563-888-3373 for more information or to make a reservation/receive training. Please read more about it here.
