Henry McNeal, courtesy of Rock Island County Historical Society In 1839, Henry McNeal, one of the first settlers of Hampton (Illinois), moved to a spot further southwest along the Mississippi and began farming. McNeal, along with Alonzo Nourse and Alfred Sanders, platted the village of Watertown in the 1850s and began an advertising campaign to attract industry and residents. Watertown had
Population (2010) N/A Introduction Most of Arsenal Island is a military installation, but there are several sites open to visitors. Just be prepared to complete a screening procedure. All visitors without an existing military ID must first check in at the Visitors Center at the Moline gate and get a
In 1868, Samuel Heagy and Albert Stoddard formed the Hampton Coal Mining Company and began pulling coal from the bluffs around Hampton (Illinois). The coal, soft in texture, was deposited in discontinuous pockets, making it time-consuming and expensive to mine. The influx of miners led to the founding of the the village of Happy Hollow around 1870. It was
Population (2010) 21,302 Introduction East Moline is something of a forgotten city in the Quad Cities. It took a big hit in the 1980s when the region's factories closed and has struggled to find a way to bounce back. New riverfront developments will offer some help. It doesn't have
Lowell was a small village on Van Druff Island, platted in 1841, that was never more than a few cabins, including the one occupied by Joshua Vandruff, who operated a ferry. Lowell became part of Searstown when David B. Sears purchased the island; the former village site is now part of Rock Island. © Dean Klinkenberg, 2009
David Sears was one of the founders of Moline. In 1838 he built a dam between Arsenal Island and the Moline mainland (across Sylvan Slough) and opened a mill. He eventually became a major landowner on Arsenal Island, at least until the federal government purchased his holdings in 1865. Sears used the money buy land south of
