Historical Markers
People walking along a wooden boardwalk beside a harbor with a red and white lighthouse - maritime history sites

Self-guided · principal city, Illinois

Maritime History Sites in Rock Island, IL

Lighthouses, shipwrecks, life-saving stations, wharves and canals, the history of the coasts, lakes and rivers.

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Photo: MChe Lee on Unsplash

Rock Island is one of the cities the Davenport–Moline–Rock Island, IA-IL metro area is officially named after. Reading about this period is one thing. Standing where it happened, with the record in your hand, is how it stops being a date on a test.

A group of people walking towards a light house - maritime history sites
Photo: Timothé Durand on Unsplash
People standing near white concrete lighthouse during daytime - maritime history sites
Photo: Adrien Delforge on Unsplash
A woman in a red dress is walking towards two lighthouses - maritime history sites
Photo: Lucas Gallone on Unsplash

On the record near Rock Island, IL

The 12 nearest

22 listed sites on the record match maritime history sites within 200 miles of Rock Island, IL, out of 314 listed sites of every kind within 25 miles.

  1. Brittingham Park Boathouse124 miles from the center of Rock Island · Building · Madison · listed 1982National Register of Historic Places
  2. Bernard-Hoover Boathouse125 miles from the center of Rock Island · Building · Madison · listed 1981National Register of Historic Places
  3. Steamboat Rock Consolidated Schools Building142 miles from the center of Rock Island · Building · Steamboat Rock · listed 2004National Register of Historic Places
  4. Grosse Point Light Station154 miles from the center of Rock Island · Structure · Evanston · listed 1976National Register of Historic Places
  5. Chicago Harbor Lighthouse156 miles from the center of Rock Island · Building · Chicago · listed 1984National Register of Historic Places
  6. Kenosha Light Station160 miles from the center of Rock Island · Building · Kenosha · listed 1990National Register of Historic Places
  7. Indiana Harbor Public Library162 miles from the center of Rock Island · Building · East Chicago · listed 2005National Register of Historic Places
  8. WISCONSIN shipwreck (iron steamer)163 miles from the center of Rock Island · Site · Kenosha · listed 2009National Register of Historic Places
  9. Racine Harbor Lighthouse and Life Saving Station167 miles from the center of Rock Island · Building · Racine · listed 1975National Register of Historic Places
  10. Windpoint Light Station169 miles from the center of Rock Island · Building · Racine · listed 1984National Register of Historic Places
  11. KATE KELLY (Shipwreck)171 miles from the center of Rock Island · Site · Wind Point · listed 2007National Register of Historic Places
  12. LUMBERMAN shipwreck (schooner)172 miles from the center of Rock Island · Site · Oak Creek · listed 2009National Register of Historic Places

Distances are straight-line from the center of Rock Island, IL. Many sites are private property or working buildings - view them from the public way. See them on the map.

Maritime History in Rock Island, step by step

  1. 1

    Read the short history of the period for this area

  2. 2

    Open the map filtered to the sites from that chapter

  3. 3

    Visit the nearest site and read its full record

  4. 4

    Ask what the marker leaves out and look for the rest

  5. 5

    Add the site to a route that follows the period in order

What people in Rock Island, IL ask first

How much does it cost to visit these sites in Rock Island, IL?

Most listed sites can be seen from a public road or sidewalk at no cost, and the app is free to use. Some sites are private homes, working churches or museums with their own hours and fees. The record for each one says what it is, so you know before you go.

Where does the information on these sites come from?

From published records: the National Register of Historic Places, the Recorded Texas Historic Landmark program, and the Georgia Historical Society and Georgia Department of Natural Resources marker program. Every site on the page names its source.

Are the hard parts of this history included?

Yes. The record is shown as published, and the stories behind the markers include what happened, who it happened to, and how it was remembered. Leaving the hard parts out would make the stop less worth the trip.

Why are there so many of these sites near Rock Island, IL?

Most areas have more than people expect, because the registers list every surviving building and site tied to a period, not just the famous ones. The list on this page shows exactly what is on the record nearby.

How a visit works in Rock Island

  1. Step 1

    Find the place

    Every stop starts as a pin with real coordinates. In Rock Island, IL the map shows what is listed around you and how far each one is, so the first decision is where to go, and it takes a few seconds.

  2. Step 2

    Read the story

    The record behind each marker is kept whole: what happened there, when, who was involved, and why it was worth a sign. You read it standing where it happened, which is the part a textbook cannot give you.

  3. Step 3

    Get there under your own power

    Walk it, run it, hike it, ride it or drive it. Stops in Rock Island, IL are chained into routes that fit the way you move, so a lunch break, a long run or a Saturday drive can all pass through history.

  4. Step 4

    Collect it and come back

    Each stop you reach counts toward a badge, and a photo or a correction you send makes the record better for the next person. The map remembers where you have been, so the next trip starts where the last one ended.

The rules that make it work

The record comes first

Every site on these pages comes from a published register or marker program, with its source named. Nothing is listed that is not on the record.

Read the whole story

A marker is a few lines on a post. The story behind it is longer, and it includes the hard parts. Both are worth the stop.

Movement makes it stick

People remember the places they walked to. A route through five markers teaches more than fifty marker pages read on a couch.

Local beats famous

The marker two streets over usually has a better story than the one in the guidebook, and nobody else is standing in front of it.

Respect the ground

Many sites are private homes, working churches or cemeteries. View from the public way, follow posted hours, and leave it as you found it.

Every visitor can improve it

Markers go missing, get moved, or carry mistakes. A photo or a location fix from the person standing there is how the record stays right.

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Maritime History near Rock Island

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