Rock Island Arsenal Museum

07/24/2026

In accordance with Army Directive 2026-17 (Optimizing Digital Media), this social media account will be archived and closed July 30, 2026. To keep up with the Rock Island Arsenal Museum follow Rock Island Arsenal Historical Society or visit arsenalhistoricalsociety.org
To learn more about Rock Island Arsenal and for museum updates follow Rock Island Arsenal on Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube.

07/06/2026

07/03/2026

The Rock Island Arsenal Museum will be closed on Saturday, July 4th in observance of Independence Day🇺🇸 🎆🦅❤️🤍💙

07/03/2026

Looking to learn about the US Army Organic Industrial Base from the American Revolution to today? Come visit the Rock Island Arsenal Museum! We are open today, Friday July 3rd, from 10am to 4pm.

Pictured, the markings on our ca. 1776 Rappahannock Forge wall gun.

07/01/2026

This week we welcomed the first of many groups from Viking River Cruises!

Rock Island Arsenal
Rock Island Arsenal Historical Society
Rock Island Arsenal FMWR

06/25/2026

150 years ago, Lieutenant Colonel George Custer led 12 companies of the 7th Cavalry Regiment toward the Native American encampment on the Little Bighorn River.

In a battle that is as hotly debated today as it was in 1876, Custer divided the regiment into battalions which became separated and isolated over four miles of hilly terrain. The regiment was defeated in detail as Custer and 268 troopers lost their lives.

The Rock Island Arsenal Museum displays one of the weapons used at the battle. Through forensic archaeology conducted in the 1980s utilizing firing pin marks on recovered shells, this cut-down rifle usage was tracked across the battlefield.

Army University Press
U.S. Army Center of Military History
Rock Island Arsenal
Rock Island Arsenal Historical Society

06/21/2026

Happy Fathers Day!

Today the Museum is open for Ride the Rock, an annual cycling event that takes riders across Rock Island Arsenal on a historic scavenger hunt.



Rock Island Arsenal
Rock Island Arsenal Historical Society
River Action Quad Cities

06/18/2026

The Rock Island Arsenal Museum will be closed on Friday, June 19th in obervance of Juneteenth.

The museum will be open on Saturday, June 20th from 10am-4pm.

05/29/2026

Back with another From the Vault Friday!

In the early 20th century, Rock Island Arsenal’s skilled artisans carved the wood pattern molds for branch insignia for the US Army. These molds were used to make the final version of insignia in bronze, with the finished coloration being gold plated or black.

Below are US Army Medical Corps insignia. In the first photo from left to right: Wood pattern mold, bronze casting, finished insignia with a black coating/finish, and a gold plated insignia.



Rock Island Arsenal Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center
U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence