Davenport: A Pictorial History

by Marlys Svendsen

Well-documented by local historian Marlys Svendsen with a forward by newspaper columnist Bill Wundram, "Davenport: A Pictorial History" celebrates the city's Sesquicentennial in 1986 with a treasury of more than 360 historic photographs.

200 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1985

Reviews

[Jay French · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a large, coffee-table book containing many black and white historic photos of Davenport, Iowa. The photos are arranged into four chronological sections, and roughly by theme within each section. The photos were chosen to illustrate the buildings, the events, and the people of the city, and are described with a paragraph or two explaining the subject. I was raised in a city near Davenport decades ago, and I found the historic photos showed a vibrant, bustling city with tall buildings and a variety of attributes. When I visited there decades ago, the downtown never seemed quite as bustling, so I found this aspect of the history, the building of the central city, was eye opening. Photos cover up until the 80s and the flight of retailers to the mall. Reading a book like this, especially after having experienced the ebb and flow changes in the fortunes of different parts of a city really provide a perspective. And sometimes things don't change, as photos of historic floods illustrate. Best for those familiar with Davenport, obviously.