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Rock Island Arsenal Museum

Second Oldest US Army Museum

	The Ordnance Museum at Rock Island Arsenal was opened to the public on July 4, 1905. We are the second oldest US Army Museum in existence. The West Point Museum was opened in 1857 at the US Military Academy, and is the oldest US Army Museum. The Springfield Armory Museum, Springfield, Massachusetts, was opened in 1871, and is now operated by the National Park Service. There were three unrelated, important events that led to the founding of this museum.
First, on October 1, 1903, Chief of Ordnance Major General William Crozier notified Rock Island Arsenal that fifteen boxes of ordnance materiel would shortly be arriving “for the purpose of preserving it in a Military Museum to be established at the Rock Island Arsenal.” The boxes included a large accumulation of weapons and accoutrements from foreign countries that had been forwarded over the years through US Embassies to the Office of the Chief of Ordnance for study. In correspondence to Colonel Blunt at Rock Island Arsenal, Major General Crozier directed that a “suitable building be selected as a museum to display this ordnance materiel for research and for the interest of the general public.”
	Second, a small arms plant for manufacturing the Model 1903 rifle was established at Rock Island Arsenal in 1904. In order to make room for the manufacturing plant, the weapons and obsolete materiel that had been warehoused at Rock Island Arsenal were sold at auction in the East. Before this materiel was shipped, two examples of each gun were selected and retained for the museum.
Third, the US Government had a display at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition (St. Louis World’s Fair) in 1904. At the conclusion of this event, portions of the government display were transported to the Rock Island Arsenal for the new museum. Included in this shipment were weapons confiscated during the Philippine Insurrection and taxidermic horse specimens, which are still part of the collection today. The Catalogue of the Ordnance Museum, Rock Island Arsenal, was published in 1909. This published reference lists the small arms, accoutrements, and ammunition that were in the collection of the museum. At its very beginning, the museum at Rock Island Arsenal was known for its small arms collection. The Ordnance Museum was housed in Shop A (Building 102 today). During the First World War, additional space was needed for manufacturing, so the museum was packed up and placed in storage.
	At the request of the local community, the museum was reopened in its original location on July 4, 1919. Now called the Rock Island Arsenal Museum, the emphasis of the museum remained small arms and ordnance. Aspects of Rock Island Arsenal history were included in the museum displays for the first time. In 1919, the Ordnance Museum designation was given to a new museum at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Aberdeen, Maryland. They still retain this title today.
The museum was closed to the public and stored away during the Second World War. When it reopened in May of 1948, it was housed in Building 60, its present day location. The museum was renamed the John M. Browning Memorial Museum on November 4, 1959 in “recognition of Mr. Browning’s contributions to ordnance technology and the armed forces.” The museum became known for its arms collection, an important but eclectic collection of foreign, US, military, and civilian weapons. In 1962, all US Army Museums were placed under the authority of the US Army Center of Military History (CMH). To coincide with developments in museum professional standards, each US Army Museum was acknowledged as a unique organization with an approved mission. The primary mission of the museum at Rock Island Arsenal was the history of Rock Island Arsenal and Arsenal Island. Its secondary mission was the history of small arms development.
	On July 1, 1986, the museum was renamed the Rock Island Arsenal Museum to reflect its primary purpose. The phrase “People, Processes, and Products” was coined to explain the important themes in the history of Rock Island Arsenal. The small arms collection remained an important, but secondary aspect of the museum collection.
Today, the Rock Island Arsenal Museum has exhibits that reflect Rock Island Arsenal’s unique history. Early island history is portrayed with scale models of Fort Armstrong and the Colonel George Davenport house. One exhibit features photographs, documents, and a violin from the Rock Island Prison Barracks, one of 21 Union prison camps for Confederate prisoners of war. “Meet the People of Rock Island Arsenal” is an exhibit that focuses on the diversity of employees at Rock Island Arsenal and uses photographs, documents, and artifacts to illustrate the story of individual employees. Examples of Rock Island Arsenal products are on exhibit, and include artillery, leather equipment, mess equipment, a paracrate, machine guns, and the Model 1903 rifle.
	We have a significant small arms collection that includes rare examples. We have serial number 1 of the Model 1903 rifle and serial number 2 of the M1 Garand rifle. We have 5 weapons that have been positively identified as Sioux or Cheyenne owned weapons used at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. We have one of five Rappahannock Forge wall guns known to exist. We have serial number 1 of the basic issue M9 pistol and of the General Officers M9 pistol, as well as examples of the eight XM9 test candidates.