Inn at Fejervary Park Davenport Iowa

Fejervary Park feels easy now. Wide lawns. Trees. Walking paths. Families with coolers and kids running loose.

But for a stretch of time, it had an inn sitting right at its center.

Nicholas Fejervary built the mansion in the 1800s, up on the bluff with a clear view of the Mississippi. It wasn’t tucked away. It was meant to be seen.

In 1902, his daughter gave the property to the city of Davenport. The mansion became an inn.

And Davenport used it.

Weddings filled the rooms. Clubs held meetings there. Community dinners ran long into the evening. If something important was happening in town, it was happening at the Fejervary Inn. People dressed up, shook hands, and looked out over the river like it were part of the evening.

It didn’t last. By the 1930s, the building had been torn down.

Now it’s just park. Grass under your shoes. Trees overhead. A regular afternoon.

But once upon a time, this wasn’t just green space. It was where the entire town turned out for events and celebrations.

Pleasant View Sanitarium in Washington, Iowa (circa 1900-1910)

 

Pleasant View Sanitarium in Washington, Iowa (circa 1900-1910)

City Hall in Iowa City (circa 1900-1905)

 

City Hall building in Iowa City, Iowa (circa 1900-1905)

Muscatine Company Starts Work on “Littlemac” Auto Plant

In late 1929, the Thompson Motor Corporation began construction on a new automobile manufacturing plant in Muscatine, with plans to build a small, lightweight car unlike anything else on the road.

The company was led by Herbert G. Thompson, mayor of Muscatine. The new venture was capitalized at $1 million and aimed to produce three different models of a compact automobile called the “Littlemac.”

The Littlemac was designed to weigh less than half as much as a typical light car of the day. The vehicle would weigh about 1,100 pounds and stand between five and six feet high. Despite its smaller size, the company claimed it could reach speeds of 75 miles per hour.

It featured a 50-inch wheelbase and a 40-inch tread. A specially designed axle system was built to keep the car steady while turning corners. Power came from an 18-horsepower Red Seal Continental engine.

Castle At Eagle Point Park Clinton Iowa

The castle at Eagle Point Park in Clinton, Iowa, is one of the most recognizable landmarks in town. Built by WPA workers in the 1930s, it rises over the park and gives a stunning view of the Mississippi River.

Footbridge At Eagle Point Park Clinton Iowa

During the 1930s, when jobs were scarce and money tighter, Clinton turned to New Deal programs to put people to work and improve the city’s parks.

Crews funded through the Works Progress Administration carved paths into the bluffs and stacked local limestone by hand. They built walls, steps, shelters—and this bridge. Every stone was set to look like it belonged there, rising naturally out of the ravine instead of fighting it.

The footbridge stitched the park together. Trails met there. Families crossed it on Sunday walks, and kids leaned over the side to watch water trickle below after a rain. After dark, more than one teen cracked a six-pack to experience their first drink.

Decades later, it’s still here. A reminder that even during the worst years, people built things meant to carry others forward.

Polk County Juvenile Home 1927

The Des Moines Register printed this picture of the Polk County Juvenile Home on March 15, 1927. The home was located at Hull Avenue and East Sixteenth Street in Des Moines.