Day 5, September 21, 2022, Quad Cities

 

Servants' quarters

In 1892, Charles Deere built Butterworth Center a block from his own home, Overlook (now Deere-Wiman House), as a wedding gift for his youngest daughter Katherine and her husband William Butterworth.

Over the years, the Butterworths tripled the size of their home, which they named Hillcrest. Included in the additions were two unique features. As part of the 1909 addition to the living room, a pipe organ built by the Bennett Organ Company was installed. Later in 1938, Mrs. Butterworth hired the Stannke Organ Company of Rock Island, Illinois, to perform extensive rebuilding and additions. At that time, the organ was probably one of the largest residential organs in the Midwest. A major restoration of the Bennett-Stannke organ was completed in the spring of 2008.

Another special feature of Butterworth Center is the library, built in 1917. The room was designed to hold an 18th century Italian ceiling painting originally found in Venice, Italy, and purchased by the Butterworths through a New York art dealer. Believed to have been painted by Gaspare Diziani, the painting is one of only six known Venetian ceiling paintings existing in the United States today.

In 1910, the Butterworths designed extensive formal gardens, which included a lawn bowling field and pathways that wind past a fountain, through a large pergola, and into a charming summer gazebo.

Because of Katherine's generosity and foresight, visitors may still wander the lush grounds among countless species of plants or take a moment to savor the view from Butterworth Center's ample, screened porch.

Because of Katherine's generosity and foresight, visitors may still wander the lush grounds among countless species of plants or take a moment to savor the view from Butterworth Center's ample, screened porch.

Interior tours of the Center lead guests through three floors of handsomely appointed rooms that originally served as living quarters to William and Katherine Butterworth.

We made our last stop at the Johne Deer Pavilion

The combine with the corn picker head can harvest 16 rows with each pass!

Old and new side by side

Very old tractor; steel wheels

Any one care to perform maintenance on this modern beast?

This combine only uses 30% fuel compared to earlier versions

Tracks can funtion on wet and hilly terrain

We departed the Quad Cities' dock at 6 PM, only to encounter an extrememly low bridge.  It was a swinging bridge with auto traffic on the lower level and a single lane of railroad tracks above. 

As the lock level went down 10 feet and just prior to the opening of the lower gate of the lock, the swinging bridge section rotated 90 degrees to give our cruise boat clearance to procede.

The lower level is for auto traffic and the upper level is for two lanes of train traffic

Tomorrow we will arrive at Burlington at 8 AM.  We have reserved a morning excursion to a country dairy farm and will go on a bus tour of Burlington in the afternoon.