House on the Hill – Weyerhaeuser House
3052 10th Avenue Today’s “House on the Hill,” as this mansion is known, is one of the most intact historic homes in Rock Island. It was owned by one family for most of its life and, subsequently, by Augustana College, which has been a loving custodian for over fifty years. The featured postcard, dating from … [ Continued
West End Settlement
427 Seventh Avenue Usually buildings are deemed historic because of their age and architecture. But sometimes historic status derives from what happened in a building. This Real Photo postcard lent us by Mary Chappell shows the West End Settlement, a building that is historic on both counts. Thanks to local philanthropist Suzanne Denkmann, well-to-do daughter … [ Continued
Black Hawk Watch Tower Inns
For decades, Watch Tower Park was a destination for folks all over the Quad Cities. In 1891 when several local railways merged to form the Tri City Railway, the formerly quiet landscape was soon transformed into a busy amusement park. Expanding this attraction was a shrewd business decision and the hundreds of passengers who paid … [ Continued
St. Mary’s Church & Parsonage
2208 Fourth Avenue This rare postcard from Shannon Hall’s collection shows St. Mary’s Church and Parsonage as it appeared about 1910. The church, initially known as St. James, was established in 1851 by missionary priest Rev. George Alleman. During that year, construction of a modest church on 4th Avenue and 22nd Street (or Rock River … [ Continued