Day in history for December 8, 2004

1854 -- 150 years ago

T.F. Davenport, Esq., new sheriff of Henry County, announces today the dates at which he will be at 16 different places to collect taxes. Owing to the untrustworthiness of paper money, state law requires that taxes can be paid only in gold or silver.

1879 -- 125 years ago

The Wide Awake volunteer fire company of Rock Island won the silver trumpet in competition at the Fire King fair held in Davenport.

1904 -- 100 years ago

The jail committee has recommended to other members of the Rock Island County Board of Supervisors that a new county jail should be built.

1929 -- 75 years ago

Mayor Chester Thompson, Democrat, today declined an invitation to be candidate for state senator. He said he has no ambition for political offices.

1954 -- 50 years ago

Miss Hazel Jackson, 2922 12th Ave., Rock Island, a lifetime resident of the Quad-Cities, died unexpectedly at 6 p.m. Tuesday in Moline Lutheran Hospital. Blind since birth Feb. 24, 1903, she was the daughter of George and Clara Jackson. It is said she was the first person in this area to possess a Seeing Eye dog.

1979 -- 25 years ago

Some East Moline parents don't want their children going to school near a prison. So they are asking the East Moline Board of Education to consider closing McKinley School and transfering students to another school. McKinley School, 2045 3rd Ave., is less than a block from the grounds of the new East Moline minimum security prison, where prisoners are scheduled to begin arriving in March.

Back: Available days in December 2004