MOLINE, Illinois -- Prospect Park dates back to 1889, when the Moline Centrail Railway Company purchased 35 acres of land on what was then the far outskirts of town.
There was a reason for the trolley company to make that investment: they wanted to create a destination point and garner more riders on their trolleys.
The park quickly grew in popularity, leading to the building of the park's "Grand Pavilion" in 1891.,
Twelve years later, the company expanded again, building what we now know as Music Guild in 1903.
The city of Moline purchased the park in 1911, after seeing how influential the park was to the community.
The last remaining trolley line in the Quad Cities was discontinued in the 1940s, but the park continued to thrive through the middle portion of the 20th century.
Prospect Park saw the first show, a show called Sweethearts, at Music Guild in 1949.
Over the next few decades, Prospect Park and the 127 year old pavilion saw many renivations.
The park saw a successful year in 1996 when the 500,000th person saw a show at the Music Guild.
2005 was the last year the park saw a renovation, but parties and celebrations came for years to come.
WQAD along with the parks department, Moline Preservation Society and Music Guild are raising money for the ongoing preservation and growth of Prospect Park. You can contribute via the Preservation Society's Go Fund Me page here.
