Rock Island Arsenal Museum

Exhibits

The Rock Island Arsenal Museum explores the military presence on the island. From the building of Ft. Armstrong in 1816 to military manufacturing today, visitors will discover the people, processes, and products of Rock Island Arsenal. The museum’s collection features more than 1,200 unique firearms, tracing the history of small-arms development.

Among the museum’s most significant artifacts are serial number 1 of the Model 1903 rifle, serial number 2 of the M1 Garand rifle, four weapons that have been positively proven to have been used by the Sioux or Cheyenne at the Battle of Little Bighorn, one of the five Rappahannock forge wall guns, and many one-of-a-kind experimental firearms produced, in-part, at Rock Island Arsenal.

You can see our temporary exhibits here.