Village of East Davenport
Encyclopedia
The Village of East Davenport, also known simply as The Village is located along the Mississippi River
on the southeast side of Davenport, Iowa
, United States
. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1980 as the Davenport Village. It is roughly defined as the area between the Mississippi River, Spring, Judson, and 13th Streets, Kirkwood Boulevard and Jersey Ridge Road. The historic district was started as an independent community and became a part of the city of Davenport within five years. Today it is a shopping and entertainment area.
The first industry in the town was a steam powered saw mill which was established by Robert Christie in 1851. In the 1860s it became Lindsay & Phelps. In 1854 the Renwick & Sons mill opened. Logs were rafted down the river from the forests in the north and were processed at the mills.
In 1856 the first railroad bridge across the Mississippi River was built just south of The Village. The railroad was important in moving the lumber from the mills to the frontier out west. In 1874 the Davenport and Northwestern Railroad, which became part of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad, built a railroad trestle on the west side of The Village that remains today.
Davenport became the home to five army camps during the Civil War
. Camp McClellan
, the largest of the camps, was established in 1861. As the war escalated the camp served as a hospital. It was also the location of a prison for 300 members of a Sioux
tribe who were involved in raids in Minnesota. They were released when President Abraham Lincoln
commuted their sentences and sent them to reservations in the West.
On July 24, 1901, one of the worst fires in Davenport history occurred in The Village. A shanty town had grown up around the Weyerhaeuser
Mill, Lindsay & Phelps Mill, the Roberts wood yard and the Standard Oil
storage tanks. The area was a square mile of shingles, kindling, sawdust and 60 feet (18.3 m) high piles of lumber. The fire began at the Rock Island Fuel Company and spread quickly. The fire was so hot it warped the rails of the railroad bed and buckled the pavement, and the smoke was so thick it made the area as dark as midnight. Flames lept 300 feet (91.4 m) into the air and the intense heat created an updraft that sucked lumber into it and sent them into the air and helped spread the fire. The fire moved toward the downtown area, but stopped at the Tremont Avenue hill where St. Katherine’s Hall
, an Episcopal
girl’s school, was located. In the end, 20 acres of land were burned, 250 people were left homeless and businesses suffered $1.25 million in losses.
The Village was also the scene for a raid at the East Davenport Turner’s Hall during Prohibition
in 1928. A Federal Prohibition officer and Davenport Police Officers seized 4,185 bottles of homebrew, 90 gallons of mash, 15 crocks, 50 cans of malt, beer cases, capers and other materials for making beer.
Today the Village of East Davenport contains many of its original Civil War era buildings that house speciality shops, restaurants, taverns and other businesses. The former Turner’s Hall now serves as a theater. The former Hose Station No. 4
on 11th Street has been converted into the International Fire Museum. It was listed on the Davenport Register of Historic Properties in 1993. The Village was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 17, 1980. The former Pierce School
is individually listed on the NRHP. Lindsay Park
was listed on the Davenport Register of Historic Places in 1998.
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
on the southeast side of Davenport, Iowa
Davenport, Iowa
Davenport is a city located along the Mississippi River in Scott County, Iowa, United States. Davenport is the county seat of and largest city in Scott County. Davenport was founded on May 14, 1836 by Antoine LeClaire and was named for his friend, George Davenport, a colonel during the Black Hawk...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1980 as the Davenport Village. It is roughly defined as the area between the Mississippi River, Spring, Judson, and 13th Streets, Kirkwood Boulevard and Jersey Ridge Road. The historic district was started as an independent community and became a part of the city of Davenport within five years. Today it is a shopping and entertainment area.
History
In 1851 William H. Hildreth and Dr. G.W. Witherwax laid out a town they called Upper Davenport, which would later be called East Davenport. The area was a broad ravine along a bend of the Mississippi at the foot of the Rock Island Rapids. The area was known to rivermen as “Stubb’s Eddy” for a hermit who lived in a cave in the area whose name was James R. Stubbs. The small town was ten blocks in size. By 1856 it had been incorporated into the city of Davenport.The first industry in the town was a steam powered saw mill which was established by Robert Christie in 1851. In the 1860s it became Lindsay & Phelps. In 1854 the Renwick & Sons mill opened. Logs were rafted down the river from the forests in the north and were processed at the mills.
In 1856 the first railroad bridge across the Mississippi River was built just south of The Village. The railroad was important in moving the lumber from the mills to the frontier out west. In 1874 the Davenport and Northwestern Railroad, which became part of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad, built a railroad trestle on the west side of The Village that remains today.
Davenport became the home to five army camps during the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. Camp McClellan
Camp McClellan (Iowa)
Camp McClellan is a former Union Army camp in the U.S. state of Iowa that was established in Davenport in August 1861 after the outbreak of the American Civil War. The camp was the training grounds for recruits and a hospital for the wounded. In 1863 it became a prison camp called Camp Kearney...
, the largest of the camps, was established in 1861. As the war escalated the camp served as a hospital. It was also the location of a prison for 300 members of a Sioux
Sioux
The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...
tribe who were involved in raids in Minnesota. They were released when President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
commuted their sentences and sent them to reservations in the West.
On July 24, 1901, one of the worst fires in Davenport history occurred in The Village. A shanty town had grown up around the Weyerhaeuser
Weyerhaeuser
Weyerhaeuser is one of the largest pulp and paper companies in the world. It is the world's largest private sector owner of softwood timberland; and the second largest owner of United States timberland, behind Plum Creek Timber...
Mill, Lindsay & Phelps Mill, the Roberts wood yard and the Standard Oil
Standard Oil
Standard Oil was a predominant American integrated oil producing, transporting, refining, and marketing company. Established in 1870 as a corporation in Ohio, it was the largest oil refiner in the world and operated as a major company trust and was one of the world's first and largest multinational...
storage tanks. The area was a square mile of shingles, kindling, sawdust and 60 feet (18.3 m) high piles of lumber. The fire began at the Rock Island Fuel Company and spread quickly. The fire was so hot it warped the rails of the railroad bed and buckled the pavement, and the smoke was so thick it made the area as dark as midnight. Flames lept 300 feet (91.4 m) into the air and the intense heat created an updraft that sucked lumber into it and sent them into the air and helped spread the fire. The fire moved toward the downtown area, but stopped at the Tremont Avenue hill where St. Katherine’s Hall
St. Katherine's Historic District
St. Katherine's Historic District is located on the east side Davenport, Iowa, United States and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is the campus of a former Episcopal girl’s school named St. Katherine’s Hall. It is currently the location of a senior living facility called...
, an Episcopal
Episcopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
girl’s school, was located. In the end, 20 acres of land were burned, 250 people were left homeless and businesses suffered $1.25 million in losses.
The Village was also the scene for a raid at the East Davenport Turner’s Hall during Prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
in 1928. A Federal Prohibition officer and Davenport Police Officers seized 4,185 bottles of homebrew, 90 gallons of mash, 15 crocks, 50 cans of malt, beer cases, capers and other materials for making beer.
Today the Village of East Davenport contains many of its original Civil War era buildings that house speciality shops, restaurants, taverns and other businesses. The former Turner’s Hall now serves as a theater. The former Hose Station No. 4
Hose Station No. 4
Hose Station No. 4 is located in the Village of East Davenport in Davenport, Iowa, United States. It is a contributing property of the Davenport Village Historic District that has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1980. The fire station was individually listed on...
on 11th Street has been converted into the International Fire Museum. It was listed on the Davenport Register of Historic Properties in 1993. The Village was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 17, 1980. The former Pierce School
Pierce School No. 13
Pierce School No. 13 is one of four former grade school buildings located in Davenport, Iowa, United States that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The other three buildings are the former Buchanan School, the former Jackson School and Taylor School. The schools were built in...
is individually listed on the NRHP. Lindsay Park
Lindsay Park (Davenport, Iowa)
Lindsay Park is a park. located in the Village of East Davenport in Davenport, Iowa, United States. The lower park is a contributing property of the Davenport Village Historic District that has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1980, and the upper park is part of the...
was listed on the Davenport Register of Historic Places in 1998.