Quad City Times [Davenport, Iowa]
9 October 2016
Bill Wundram
Truth can easily escape. One persistent urban myth
surrounds the old Natatorium, once Davenport's block-long downtown swimming
pool at the foot of Main Street. It was built in 1922 and razed in 1977.
The urban myth makes the claim that for years,
African-Americans were permitted to swim at the Nat only one day a week. Then,
the 500,000 gallons of water would be drained, and the pool refilled next day.
This unbelievable story was told and retold so many
times that a plaque stating just that was posted in 2011 during an effort to
create a civil rights walking trail. […]