The Bridge of 1856 was the first railroad bridge to cross the Mississippi River. At the time of its building the bridge featured the longest swing span in the world.

On May 6, 1856, two weeks after the bridge opened, the steamboat Effie Afton crashed into the bridge collapsing one span and destroying the boat. In a series of court cases, steamboat interests claimed that the bridge was an impediment to navigation. Abraham Lincoln, then a Springfield, Illinois lawyer, defended the railroad in one of the cases. The Supreme Court eventually decided a subsequent suit in December 1862, and the bridge remained operational.

The bridge was expanded in 1866 to support more weight. The bridge was replaced by the 1872 “Iron Bridge” located at the western end of the island.

The Davenport House was the first permanent residence of Colonel George Davenport, a trader with Native Americans and supplier to the U.S. Army. Davenport earned the honorary rank of colonel while serving as the volunteer quartermaster at Fort Armstrong. The city of Davenport, Iowa, was named in his honor.

Completed between 1833 and 1834, the original Davenport House was built in the federal style and is considered the westernmost example of this architectural tradition.

After Fort Armstrong closed in 1836, George Davenport remained on Rock Island, overseeing the upkeep of the abandoned fort and Army depot for several years.

On July 4, 1845, while his family attended a parade in a neighboring town, Davenport—feeling ill—stayed home. Believing the house was empty, bandits broke in searching for rumored wealth. They assaulted Davenport when they found him inside but fled after realizing the rumors were false. Davenport lived long enough to identify the attackers. One of them, John Long, was not buried until the 1970s.

The Davenport family abandoned the house in 1857. During the Civil War, the U.S. Army rented it as a residence for the commandant of the prison camp. In 1867, the family sold the house and property to the U.S. government, after which it fell into disrepair.

In 1907, Davenport’s grandchildren saved and restored the main structure. Restoration efforts have continued ever since. Today, the house is maintained by the Colonel Davenport Historical Foundation and is open seasonally for public tours.

The Confederate Cemetery is all that remains from the Rock Island Prison Barracks, which was one of 21 prison camps operated by the Union Army during the Civil War. Almost 2,000 prisoners died at the camp. Each gravestone in the Confederate Cemetery identifies the individual soldier and his company and unit. The Veterans Administration maintains the cemetery today.

The Confederate Cemetery covers a rectangular, three-acre parcel of land, bound by Rodman Avenue and a post-and-chain fence to the north, Confederate Avenue to the south, and heavy tree cover to the east and west. A paved walkway extends from Rodman Avenue to the edge of the burial sites, passing a six-foot tall obelisk that the Daughters of the Confederacy dedicated in 2003 to the Confederate veterans who died at Rock Island. At the south end of the grounds, opposite the monument, is the cemetery's flagpole. Four Confederate cannons sit near the entrance, two each on either side of the monument.

The burial area contains 1,950 graves consisting of 20 rows of graves running north and south. Although the spacing of each row is identical, the beginning and end of the rows are irregular. In 1908, the Commission for Marking the Graves of Confederate Dead began a program to place distinctive pointed-top marble headstones, inscribed with the name and regimental affiliation of each soldier, on the graves. The graves were previously marked with wooden markers and a few private headstones.

Established by Rock Island Arsenal Commander, Captain S.E. Blunt, and approved by then Secretary of War, William Howard Taft, the Rock Island Golf Club brought golf to the region in 1897. The course was initially a 9-hole, European Links-style course, later expanded to an 18-hole course.

Today it operates as 9-hole course open to the public.

During World Wars I and II, Rock Island Arsenal sent civilian employees to Europe to study weapon systems and manufacturing processes. These missions provided firsthand knowledge of machining recoil mechanisms, gun carriages, and stocks, as well as insight into battlefield conditions. This experience helped improve the quality and relevance of materiel produced at the Arsenal.

These deployments came with risk, and some civilian employees lost their lives in active combat zones. In 1950, Rock Island Arsenal dedicated Memorial Field to honor those civilians who died while serving with the U.S. Armed Forces, both in and out of uniform. The field continues to honor the sacrifices of the civilian workforce.

Memorial Field began with a few macro artifacts and now features 26 pieces, including foreign weapons from China, the Soviet Union, Germany, and Iraq, as well as American variants of Allied designs.

Overlooking Locks and Dam 15, the Mississippi River Visitor Center is operated by the Rock Island District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Its lookout provides an excellent point to observe the lock and dam system on the Upper Mississippi, the operation of the Government Bridge, and the vital role of barge traffic on the river.

The visitor center welcomes over 30,000 people annually and is fully accessible. In addition to lock and dam tours, park rangers offer a variety of educational programs for the local community.

From the indoor observation area or outdoor deck, visitors can watch pilots skillfully maneuver massive cargo through the lock. Inside the center, guests can enjoy a short film about the Upper Mississippi, explore an aquarium, and engage with interactive displays.

Designed by General Thomas Rodman, Quarters One was the second largest residence in the Federal inventory behind the White House and was continuously occupied from 1871 to 2008. The house is 21,965 square feet and has 51 rooms. It was designed as a multi-use building that incorporated a bakery and courtroom in the basement, and additional Soldier quarters on the third floor.

Quarters One was constructed of the same materials as Rock Island Arsenal’s stone shops including limestone and ironwork made from melted cannon tubes and cannonballs.

Among the distinguished visitors to Quarters One were Charles Lindbergh, future President Dwight D. Eisenhower and General John J. Pershing.

The Rock Island Arsenal Museum is the U.S Army’s second oldest museum – opening to the public on July 4, 1905. It is dedicated to collecting, preserving, and interpreting the history of Rock Island Arsenal, Arsenal Island, and the Army’s Organic Industrial Base.

The Museum’s exhibits tell the story of how diverse people, innovative manufacturing processes, and the production of cutting-edge military equipment have shaped the Island’s past, present, and future.

The Museum is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 4pm.

Sundial

In 1877, Frankfort Arsenal in Pennsylvania gifted this sundial to Rock Island Arsenal. It remains in its original location and is one of the few meso-sized artifacts still in place. The sundial's surface was repaired in 1969 and rededicated in September 1970.

Flagler’s Battery

Named after Lieutenant Colonel Daniel W. Flagler, commander of Rock Island Arsenal, Flagler's Battery was constructed around the same time the sundial was installed. It is believed to have served as a salute battery rather than a defensive installation based on its location near Quarters One.

The battery featured two 30-pound Parrott rifled cannons and was decorated with stacks of cannonballs, similar to other displays on the island. The exact date of its removal is unknown.

On July 11, 1862 Congress approved the establishment of a national arsenal on Rock Island. Major Charles P. Kingsbury was named the first Commanding Officer of Rock Island and located and designed three buildings for the Arsenal. Only one, the Clock Tower Building, was completed and designated Storehouse A.

Today, the Clock Tower is home to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District.

Rock Island Arsenal was founded on July 11, 1862, when Congress passed an act establishing three new arsenals. The first building erected was Storehouse A, now

known as the Clock Tower Building and home to the Rock Island District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. General Thomas Rodman designed the main Arsenal as a grand “national arsenal” nation centered around ten stone shops which still stand today.

The ten stone shops were constructed from 1867 to 1893, the largest public works project of its time. They were constructed using limestone quarried in Leclaire, IA and Joliet, IL and iron from surplus gun tubes and iron.

The five buildings on the south side were designated as "Arsenal Row" and were used for manufacture and overhaul of ordnance systems like cannons, howitzers, and limbers. The buildings on the north side were designated "Armory Row" and were used for the manufacture and overhaul of small arms and personal equipment.