The 14-acre Davenport estate once presided over by bank baron V.O. Figge is on the real estate block for $3.5 million.
Even if you can't afford the French Country villa, you can get a glimpse into the life of the rich back in the 1950's by clicking through the online gallery of photos taken back in 1954. The link is: http://www.hawthornacres.com
The living room, shown above, features hunting trophies – a rhinoceros head and elephant tusks – which were mounted above the fireplace. More elephant tusks were mounted above the bed in what apparently was the master bedroom.
All are long gone from the mansion, of course, which was sold to new owners in 1995 after Figge's death. The long-time owner/president of Davenport Bank & Trust sold the firm in 1991 to Norwest Bank of Minneapolis, which later merged with Wells Fargo Bank.
Looking through the old photos, it is easy to visualize Hollywood images of an African safari popularized by the Tarzan movies of the 50's and 60's.
Today, populations of elephants and rhinoceros have been decimated by poachers seeking the horns and tusks for black markets mostly in China, Asia and the Middle East.
