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germanamericanheritagecenter

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Museum exploring the German immigrant experience and history of Davenport and Iowa!

In 1994, a few Quad Cities residents looked at an abandoned building and saw something others didn’t: a place full of stories worth saving. Because of them, this space became a museum, a gathering place, and a home for shared history.

After 15+ years of work and countless volunteer hours, they saved it. They built a place for stories, culture, and community. Last year alone, we connected with over 3,000 students, families, and community members through programs, events, and celebrations.

This space exists because people believed it mattered and showed up.
Help us keep it going.

Every gift helps keep this space open, active, and rooted in community. Give through Birdies for Charity by July 1st to maximize your impact.

You can give online today at https://birdiesforcharity.com/donate?charity=1002#
You can also fill out a pledge card at the museum or send a check to Birdies for Charity with Bird #1002. …

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🍻 Need a Father`s Day Gift?

We have unique items for Father`s Day if you need a last-minute gift. Check out our selection of German beer, root beer, pickles, sauerkraut, Boetje`s Mustard, books, and more. All of our sales are tax-free! Members get 10% off on all gift shop sales.

You can also gift a membership to the museum for those dads that "don`t want anything." Give the gift of history and enjoy one of our Kaffee und Kuchen programs or a museum visit anytime with a membership.
➡️ https://gahc.org/become-a-member/ …

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Deutschland to Davenport Part 2
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These are a just a couple examples of some of the framed wall pieces we have in our collection. Perforated paper needlework was popular during the Victorian period (1837-1901). Punched paper was used for many things, but the most common were the motto designs, consisting of biblical sayings, greetings, popular song titles etc.
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Thanks to our intern, Bella, for researching and making these stories come to life! …

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For #PrideMonth, we are sharing important stories of LGBTQ+ history in Germany.

In 1920s Berlin, the Eldorado nightclub stood as one of the most visible and vibrant queer spaces in the world. During the Weimar Republic, Berlin was home to an estimated 170 LGBTQ+ venues. Within these spaces, people found something rare for the time: the ability to gather openly, build community, and express themselves with joy and authenticity. The Eldorado was especially well known for its drag performances and lively atmosphere, drawing both locals and curious tourists.

But this visibility existed alongside risk. Laws like Paragraph 175 still criminalized same-sex relationships between men, and gender nonconformity could lead to arrest. Queer spaces like the Eldorado were tolerated, but often contained and monitored. Even so, they offered something powerful: a place to be seen.

That visibility is exactly what made the Eldorado significant—and vulnerable.

In 1933, shortly after the Nazis came to power, the club was shut down. The building was quickly transformed into a headquarters for the SA, the Nazi paramilitary. In a stark and deliberate image of control, photographs show the once-celebrated nightclub covered in swastikas and Nazi propaganda. A space of joy, community, and self-expression was turned into a symbol of fear and oppression almost overnight.

The story of the Eldorado is a reminder of how quickly spaces of belonging can be erased—and why they matter. For a time, it offered a glimpse of what was possible when queer people could live openly. Its loss underscores the devastating impact of Nazi persecution, but also the importance of visibility, community, and resistance.

Learn more about Eldorado Nightclub here: https://www.ilholocaustmuseum.org/celebrating-queer-joy-in-1920s-berlin/
Exterior photos show Eldorado Nightclub in 1932 and 1933. …

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🏛️ This week is #IowaMuseumWeek, which highlights the people, stories, objects, and connections that make museums vital to Iowa’s culture and future.

🇺🇸 Engage with your local museums this summer and check out all of their offerings. This summer, the German American Heritage Center and Museum is excited to bring lots of programs and exhibitions to Davenport. Celebrate America`s 250th this year by engaging with history and learning something new:

Sunday June 14th: Kaffee und Kuchen: Germans in the Military from Von Steuben through WWII
Sunday June 28th: Kaffee und Kuchen: Hamburg on Mississippi: Davenport`s Germans and the Musical Mecca of the West
Sunday July 12th: Best of the Wurst 2026
Sunday July 19th: Kaffee und Kuchen: Davenport Civil Rights Movement
Summer Architectural Walking Tours on Select Saturdays

🎟️ FREE ADMISSION in July sponsored by Cal and Jill Werner

Current Exhibitions:
📜 Shaped by Immigrants: Celebrating 250 Years of the United States
🪗 Play On! German Immigrants and the Quad Cities` Musical Legacy
Upcoming Exhibitions:
✊ Davenport Civil Rights Movement: A Traveling Exhibit from the Putnam Museum
Iowa Museum Association …

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Deutschland to Davenport Part 1: Ernst Otto
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Learn more about the life of Ernst Otto, a German immigrant who came to Davenport. You can learn more about music history in Davenport in our current exhibition, "Play On! German Immigrants and the Quad Cities` Musical Legacy" on the 3rd floor through August 2nd.
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#history #museum #IowaMuseumWeek #german #music #quadcities #qcthatswhere …

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For #PrideMonth, we are sharing the stories of LGBTQ+ individuals from history.

Gertrude Sandmann (1893–1981) was a Berlin artist who refused to let persecution erase her life or her work.

As a Jewish woman and a lesbian under Nazi rule, Sandmann faced constant danger. She was banned from exhibiting her art, pushed out of public life, and stripped of her professional identity. But she did not disappear.

Sandmann had built her artistic career at a time when women were often excluded from formal training. She studied at the Berlin Association of Women Artists and later worked under Käthe Kollwitz, who remained an important mentor and friend.
In her personal life, Sandmann also challenged expectations. She knew she was a lesbian from a young age. After a brief marriage to a man due to social pressure, she developed a lasting partnership with Hedwig Koslowski in 1927. Their relationship would later become a lifeline.

By the early 1940s, the threat of deportation was real and widely understood as a death sentence. In 1942, Sandmann made a desperate and courageous decision to stage her own death. Leaving behind a suicide note and her belongings, she went into hiding in Berlin.

For more than two years, Sandmann lived in secret. She moved between hiding places, relying on a small network of trusted friends, including Koslowski, who risked her own safety to help her survive. Cut off from her art and community, Sandmann endured isolation, hunger, and fear: but she survived.

After the war, Sandmann returned to her work. Despite lasting health problems from her time in hiding, she rebuilt her artistic career, exhibited her work, and even held a solo exhibition in 1974. She also became an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights in postwar Germany. Her life reminds us that even in the darkest times, people find ways to endure hardship and remain inspired to create.

Learn more about her life here: https://www.deutsche-digitale-bibliothek.de/content/blog/kulturerbe-erzaehlt-die-kuenstlerin-gertrude-sandmann?lang=en

Artwork – Berlinische Galerie:
Grüne Schneeballen, 1949
Kauerndes Mädchen mit Schatten, 1940 …

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Our newest exhibition, "Shaped by Immigrants: Celebrating 250 Years of the United States," is now on display. We have many artifacts from our collection on display as well as loaned pieces from the @putnammuseum.

This Davenport Turner uniform belonged to Hertha A. (Berg) Vogel-Hildebrand (1906-2004), a life member of the Davenport Central Turner Hall. Her mother was the daughter of German immigrants and was a member of the Davenport Zither Club. Her father immigrated from Schleswig-Holstein and was a Scott County employee for over 25 years. He was also a member of the Turner Singing Society.

In her childhood years, Hertha spent many enjoyable days at Schuetzen Park in Davenport where her father ran the shooting gallery and her mother was the cook. They were actively involved in many German-American activities that were typical of many immigrant families.

Explore more stories about German immigrants, and other immigrant groups and how they have shaped the United States we know it today. …

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