Photo By Corinna Baltos | (From left to right) Patrick Allie, museum director, Maj. Gen. David Wilson, Army...... read more read more
ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, Ill – The renovations are complete, the artifacts are in place, and the Rock Island Arsenal Museum, after being closed for nearly three years, celebrated its grand re-opening June 29 - and it’s not your parents’ museum.
“With the completion of this renovation project, what is old is new again,” said Charles Bowery, executive director, Center of Military History, during the ceremony. “We are breathing new life into one of the Army’s oldest museums, a precious resource that is now literally one of a kind.”
The Arsenal Museum is the only museum located at one of the Army’s arsenals, and is the second oldest museum in the Army Enterprise System, having first opened its doors on July 4, 1905.
The museum was slated for closure in 2016, due to staffing issues, outdated exhibits and story line that lacked a focused vision to tell the story.
With closure in mind, Bowery came to RIA and participated in a town hall about the museum. After listening to hundreds of Quad City residents tell him of the importance of the museum to not only the community but to them personally, he promised to find a way to keep the museum staffed and revitalized.
“My father brought me to the museum as a kid,” said U.S. Congressman Eric Sorensen, who represents Illinois’ 17th District. “This story must be told to your children and grandchildren, and their children and grandchildren.”
It was slated to close in March of 2021 for renovations but closed a year earlier due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The last time the museum was renovated was over 80 years ago, so the extra year gave museum director, Patrick Allie, the ability to re-imagine how he wanted the museum to look and what story he wanted to tell.
The re-imaging allowed Allie to incorporate modern museum designs, including a more minimalist look and touch technology, so visitors will feel like they are literally surrounded by history.
“When we started laying the space out for the museum, one of the things we had to think about was, ‘What is the core story we are trying to tell? And how are you going to continue to tell that story?’”, said Allie, during an interview with WQAD news earlier this month.
One of the stories that Allie wanted to tell was not only the history of the island, but the history of the people that work and worked here.
“This is a Quad Cities story,” said Allie. “Most of our workforce comes and has come from the Quad Cities.” Allie went on to say that there are many stories of generations of families working at the arsenal that are showcased at the museum.
Maj. Gen. David Wilson, U.S. Army Sustainment Command, commanding general, echoed Allie’s statements.
“This museum allows us to tell the story of those whose footsteps we have walked in, and the stories of those who played and continue to play a critical role this little island has played in the Army’s history,” said Wilson.
“So much of our future relies on preserving the past,” said Bowery. “This venue is about heritage and training for everyone who walks through the door.”
The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is open to the public.
| Date Taken: | 06.29.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 07.05.2023 14:27 |
| Story ID: | 448577 |
| Location: | ROCK ISLAND, ILLINOIS, US |
| Web Views: | 113 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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