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Update

We will be having a 2nd Ward Meeting at the Fairmount Library on February 10th at 9:30. If you would like any other alderman to attend or specific questions to be answered, please send me an email or post a note.

I met with neighbors at our last ward meeting who requested a special historical designation for the Northwest area in Davenport known as the Probstei. After my last meeting with these neighbors they have decided that they no longer wish for the historical designation. As this is the wish of the residents I will not pursue it, however, for those who are interested in local history I wanted you to have an opportunity to see what we found.

I must thank Amy Groskopf with the Special Collections at the Davenport Public Library and Ken Oestreich from Community and Economic Development for their hard work.

They found Probstei listed on maps from both 1919 and 1920. Probstei does not appear on a map from 1882. The one very interesting piece of information is found in a newspaper article which describes the arrival of a group of Holsteiners immigrating into the United States in 1847 and settling in what became the community of Probstei. They apparently joined Holsteiners who had come to America earlier with the first being Henry Vieths in 1836. Groskopf and Oestreich found that there was a town in the Holstein area of Germany named Probstei and they adopted the name for their community in America.

Iowa State University has a web page where one can pull up aerial photos of the state from various times in the past, the earliest being from 1930. Though it is hard to make out some of the buildings, I have these photos and will make them available at my next ward meeting. It appears the community of Probstei was largely a collection of farmsteads.

We are currently checking with the Putnam Museum for additional information. In talking with the neighbors I have been told that the original Probstei Inn and Tavern was destroyed and there are questions into how many, if any, original structures remain.

I will obey the neighbors wishes and not push for a historical designation, however, this is a prominent piece of history which I do not want to see lost. I have copies of the newspaper clippings, photos, book articles, and maps as discussed.

I am interested in any other items you may have. I am sure this collection may be of interest to the German Heritage Society. Thanks again.

Shawn Hamerlinck