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The Rock Island Arsenal is located between Rock Island, Illinois and Davenport, Iowa. It is on an island that is 946 acres and measures three miles long and three-and-a-quarter miles wide. The government purchased the land in 1804 and it was originally used as a recreation site for the Fox Indians. In 1867 a Clock Tower was built. This building was originally used to store ammunition during World War I. About 100 years later the Corps of Engineers moved into the building. Today it houses their offices.
The building was made of limestone that was taken from the quarry in LeClaire,Iowa. The limestone is cool to touch. The building is 117 feet high and has twelve-foot high clock faces on all four sides of the tower. The faces have bars and stars that mark the numbers. The stars represent 3, 6, 9, and 12 o’clock. The clock hands are five and six feet long. The windows have beveled arches above them. On the top of the building there are pillars with railings and a gabled roof. As you walk up the sidewalk into the building you will see a memorial stone telling about the building’s construction.
When you are inside the building you can hear the humming of the clock motors. Originally this clock was wound by hand. It took two people twenty minutes to wind it. The clock needed to be wound once a week but now it is run by motors. The clock cost $5,000 in 1864. On the sixth floor you can see the clock motors in glass and wooden cases. The bell cost $1662.36 and weighed 3538 pounds. It came from New York and was installed by A. S. Hotchkiss. The woodwork is made of oak and walnut.
When you look outside you can see the Mississippi River. Davenport, Iowa is on the north side of the river and Rock Island, Illinois is on the south side. Many barges go through the locks each day. There are also river boat casinos on both sides of the river. The Government bridge connects the island to Rock Island and Davenport.
Bald eagles swoop around the area because they roost around the Lock and Dam. They feed on the fish which are abundant around the dam On the other side of the street that runs into the Arsenal is a fort called Fort Armstrong. It is a four-sided brown wooden structure which is set at 45 degree angles about half-way up the
building. Cannons are also found around this area.The history of Rock Island Arsenal spans from just before the Civil War through current times. The Clock Tower has been there throughout most of these memorable times. If the Clock Tower could talk, it could tell us some wonderful stories about the exciting people who have crossed through these lands.
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