Musser Public Library is home to thousands of unique visual items that have historic significance for Muscatine and the surrounding area. As images and documents are scanned, they will be added here.
The Oscar Grossheim Collection consists of over 55,000 glass plate negatives taken from approximately the late 1890’s to the early 1940’s and includes stunning portraits of local citizens as well as critically important local scenes and landscapes.
Click here for a searchable database that lists all known entries in Oscar Grossheim’s logbooks. Images that are not scanned or need to be retrieved may incur a fee.
This material is licensed by CC BY-NC-ND. For more information, click here. All images are licensed and must be attributed to the original creator, Oscar Grossheim, and copyright holder, Musser Public Library. These images are licensed for non-commercial purposes only. You may not use this material for commercial advantage or monetary compensation. If you wish to use the material commercially, you must obtain separate permission from the copyright holder. If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you may not distribute the modified material.
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A collection of photographs of men and women who came to Muscatine, then called Bloomington, in the 1830s, 1840s, and 1850s. A brief caption is provided with each photograph as well as additional information about the person.
This collection of roughly 200 images showcases daily life at approximately 1899 as captured by Cina McCoy.
Sarah “Cina” McCoy, a lifelong Muscatine resident, dedicated over 40 years to education in the city. She served as a teacher and later as the principal of Franklin School for many years, retiring in 1930. McCoy passed away on June 28, 1936.
These glass plate negatives were discovered in an antique store in Oregon. The finder contacted the library allowing the glass plates to return home to Muscatine. Although there is no exact date, this transaction probably occurred in the early 2000s.
In 1911, E. L. Graham donated 142 images of early Muscatine and the surrounding area to the Musser Public Library. A detailed description accompanies each photograph.
Many of the images in this collection are photos taken by J.G. Evans. You will also see the occasional picture by the Grossheim Brothers.
This charming photograph collection is by Hannah Zeidler. Hannah was a lifetime resident of Muscatine. These candid photographs capture her family and friends going about everyday life. Some photographs are identified and some are not.