ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, Ill. — The Rock Island Arsenal is welcoming the public to their newly renovated museum, open for the first time in three years.
The museum opened in 1905 to help retain and preserve the history of the Arsenal and the Island. In April, according to an article from the US Army, the then 116 year-old museum was preparing for a $2 million renovation.
"That included tearing out the old exhibits, creating a space to receive new exhibits, designing the space, writing all the exhibit copy, selecting artifacts, selecting graphics, and then over the course of last two months, actually putting together and assembling the exhibits within the space itself," said Patrick Allie, the Arsenal museum director.
On Thursday morning the base held a ribbon cutting ceremony, where attendees got their first glimpse into the new gallery, which includes a section about African American guards.
"A lot of them actually came back to the Quad Cities after the civil war and made the Quad Cities their homes! Establishing many of the African American churches and civic organizations in the area."
The new museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and is open to the public. People planning to attend should be aware that a visitor's pass is required to access the Arsenal Museum.
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