We couldn’t do our work documenting and preserving local history without the gracious help of our Keepers of the Past. These people and organizations are experts who dig deep to discover and document history before it’s lost to time. One of those Keepers of the Past is The Butterworth Center and Deere Wiman House in Moline. This collaboration gives us the opportunity to learn more about local history. One of those historical persons we can learn about through them is Moline businesswoman, artist, and all-around pioneer, Mattie Poole.
Mattie Sophia White Poole was born in 1863 and died in her 80s in 1948. Pioneer almost seems like a quaint word to describe a woman who forged a successful business at the time. The Poole Building she built on Moline’s 5th Avenue still stands today, a testament to a woman truly ahead of her time.
Poole built an art studio and shop with a legacy that continues to this day. Collectors seek out Poole’s pieces for their collections and many pieces are on display at local cultural institutions. Our partners in history at the Rock Island County Historical Society have a display of some of Mattie’s ceramic art. It’s worth scheduling a time to stop by and take a look. In the 1890s, Mattie was well-renowned for her hand-painted china. Her shop was always crowded, and also ran an art studio to teach art to women in the community.
Mattie’s legacy lives on, many generations later. The Rock Island Argus reported about Mattie in 2013. Mattie Poole was one of Moline’s first female shop owners when she opened her art store and china-painting studio in the 1880s. Mattie was played by actor Becky Maxson in a program honoring Moline’s 150th Anniversary in 2022.
Gretchen Small, Past Director of Programs and Collections of Butterworth Center & Deere-Wiman House, performed historic presentations about local persons and events, including a presentation about Mattie Poole, which she’s presented at local organizations such as the Moline Public Library. To learn more, visit the Butterworth Center or schedule a presentation.