An 1844 painting by John Caspar Wild depicting Davenport, which had 1,000 inhabitants at this time.

Davenport in 1856

Davenport's retail district in 1858.

A view on Harrison Street - The dividing line between Germans and the Americans

Washington Square - The center of German life. Germans donated $1,500 for the the iron fountain with the Germania figurine.

Iowa soldiers returning from the Civil War

A photo of Old Turner Hall, erected in 1870.

A bird's eye view on Davenport in 1875, published in an atlas. The X on the left marks Washington Square. Also in the picture: lumber piles on the riverbank of Müller Lumber Company.

A photo of New Turner Hall, built in 1888 as the country's second biggest of its kind.

A poscard of Davenport's New Turner Hall

John Berwald's Deutsche Buchhandlung (German Book Store) on W 2nd St, which had a large collection of imported books, magazines, and newspapers.

John Berwald's new three-story brick building from the 1880s.

Forty-Eighter August Steffen's large retail store, since 1877 located atthe northeast corner of Second and Harrison Streets. Ernst Claussen had his law offices on the 2nd floor during his tenure as anti-prohibtion mayor (1883-1889.

The Schützenpark, a popular recreation spot for German-Americans in the 1880s and 90s.

The Sängerfest of 1898 was the most important local event of the year, with Singers from Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and many Iowa communities at the event. 137 local singers were also participating. This photo of the parade was taken from New Turner Hall.

The Sängerfesthalle, a special hall built for 1,200 singers and 3,500 concertgoers.

An early 1900s view on West 2nd Street where Forty-Eighter Louis Hanssen had his retail shop on the left side.

A Sunday School rally on Second Street

A postcard view on Second Street (1906).

Another view on Second Street (1916).

The Northwest Turner Society, founded 1871, at a patriotic showing during World War I, doing gymnastics.