Several months after the Rock Island Arsenal Museum reopened to the public, Rock Island Arsenal-Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center is increasing support to expand visitors’ knowledge of Arsenal Island.
“Patrick Allie and his team at the Rock Island Arsenal Museum are fantastic partners, and I’m extremely excited to build on the legacy of manufacturing readiness here at Rock Island,” said U.S. Army Col. David Guida, commander at RIA-JMTC. “We look forward to working with the museum to showcase the high-quality and on-time readiness RIA-JMTC has and continues to provide to our nation’s Warfighters.”
The museum reopened in June of 2023 with a new permanent exhibit feature the history of the Island dating back to 1804. That’s when the Treaty of St. Louis was signed by Sauk and Fox Native Americans, ceding more than 50 million acres of land to the U.S. Government for the price of $2,234.50 in goods at the time of the signing, and a $1,000 annuity to be paid to the tribes in perpetuity. After the U.S. Army sent Lt. Zebulon Pike to scout its newly acquired territory in 1805, Congress passed legislation in 1809 to reserve Rock Island as a federal military reservation.
Fort Armstrong was later established on the island after the War of 1812 as a site to deter British and other foreign trading outfits from operating in the river valley before it hosted the U.S. military during the Black Hawk War. Decades later during the Civil War, Congress established Rock Island as a U.S. Army Arsenal. While the first foundations were being laid, Rock Island served as a Confederate Prisoner of War camp until 1865. Finally in the 1870s, the first permanent building was complete, and the arsenal has been supporting the U.S. military in every major conflict since. In the early 2000s, the manufacturing capabilities were separated from the other island activities, and RIA-JMTC was created under Tank-automotive and Armaments Command.
“Since reopening in June 2023, the Rock Island Arsenal Museum’s mission has been to tell the history of the Arsenal, but also to showcase the global impact this installation has,” Allie said. “Every day, RIA-JMTC is responding to the needs of the Warfighter and the museum is the ideal place to showcase tangible examples of that work.”
The expanding partnership will include new museum features on current capabilities and programs operating at RIA-JMTC. Those will feature work on the M10 Booker, the Army’s newest armored combat vehicle, the M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank, the Next Generation Shop, Equipment, Contact and Maintenance Vehicle, the Patriot Missile System, features on military 3D printing capabilities and more.
“The Museum looks forward to this expanding partnership with Col. Guida and his team to tell the RIA-JMTC story,” Allie said. “Not only will this allow for us to document and preserve its present-day contributions to National Defense, but also to inspire, and educate our visitors about civil and military service.”
To begin the process, Guida invited RIA-JMTC directors to visit the museum for a private tour, where Allie addressed the different ways the factory can support his organization. Those include providing physical parts and virtual features.
“Walking the JMTC directors through the Museum was powerful,” Guida said. “It’s amazing to see the impact that this little island in the Mississippi has had on our Nation’s defense. I’m extremely humbled to be a part of it!”
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