Tag Archives: Davenport (Iowa)

Opening the Box: Davenport Gyro Club Records

We’re opening the box of our recent donation of the Davenport Gyro Club Records. We received this collection this past summer. It contains meeting minutes, membership records, publications, and photographs of its membership and activities. This collection helps us to … Continue reading

Posted in Local History | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Melodies and Lyrics from the Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center

Musical collections within the scope of a special collections department may sometimes seem like an afterthought or materials to round out a collection. In Davenport and the Quad Cities region, music was integral to many communities settling in this area. … Continue reading

Posted in Library, Local History | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Party in the Park 2023 Edition: Lafayette Park

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 … Continue reading

Posted in Local History | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

All Things SPRING

SPRING! The season officially arrived this week on Monday, March 20th, but the dreary days have Special Collections Staff dreaming of ALL THINGS SPRING.  Forgive us for getting carried away, but just look at all the reminders of this glorious season … Continue reading

Posted in Local History | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

What Was In The Water In Davenport? – Books about Davenport Writers

We are thrilled to be hosting Marcia Noe on Saturday, February 24, 2023, at 1:30pm at The Library | Main to talk about her latest book: Three Midwestern Playwrights: How Floyd Dell, George Cram Cook, and Susan Glaspell Transformed American … Continue reading

Posted in Library, Local History | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Preserving Local History

For over 30 years, the Davenport Public Library has dedicated space and staff for the purpose of collecting, preserving, and accessing the history of Davenport, Scott County, and the surrounding areas. In 1999, The Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center was made … Continue reading

Posted in Genealogy, Library, Local History | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

San Fran 49er Fan – Iowa Connections   

If you watched last weekend’s NFL Divisional playoffs, you probably saw some Iowans in action! Did you know that San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, “Mr. Irrelevant”,  was a very successful quarterback at Iowa State University? He seems pretty relevant … Continue reading

Posted in Local History | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Little Special Collections Poem for Gift Ideas

Special Collections is here to help with some last-minute gift ideas! For the ladies in your life, handy home tools might be a hit. But, something more personal might be a better fit. Teens are tough, but technology is good! … Continue reading

Posted in Local History | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

A Trusted Friend: The murder of Rose Gendler

22-year-old Rose Gendler left her part-time job at M. L. Parker Co. in downtown Davenport a little after 9:00 p.m. on December 21, 1932. She had worked a full day in the toy department and still had to catch the … Continue reading

Posted in Local History | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Halloween History in Newsprint

From the shrouded mists of history, the mysterious Samhain (pronounced “sow-wen”) is an ancient Celtic end-of-summer or beginning-of-winter festival where Halloween finds its origins. In the early newspapers of Davenport, readers read about this curious holiday intertwined with Hallowe’en on … Continue reading

Posted in Local History | Tagged , , | Leave a comment