West Third Street Historic District (Davenport, Iowa)
West Third Street Historic District is located on the west side of downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The historic district connects the central business district with the working-class neighborhoods of the West End. Its historical significance is its connection to Davenport's German-American community. Germans were the largest ethnic group to settle in Davenport. History German immigrants started moving into the city in noticeable numbers starting in the late 1840s. In 1848 250 Germans came to Davenport and by 1850 that number rose to close to 3,000, or 20% of the city's population. German immigration remained strong through the 1880s. The Iowa census of 1890 showed that a quarter of Scott County residents were natives of Germany. A disproportionate number of those immigrants came from Schleswig-Holstein, which was in a border and personal rights dispute with Denmark in the 1840s. Other German immigrants to Davenport came from Bavaria, Hamburg, Hanover, and Mecklenburg. Washington Square was a city block that was laid out by city founder Antoine LeClaire as part of the original town. By the 1850s it became the focus for the cultural life of many German immigrants who