Rock Island Preservation Society

Welcome!

On Tuesday, September 18 we took a Walking Tour of Watch Hill at 6:30 p.m. Watch Hill was developed between 1941 and the mid-50s. Here are some photos of this unique area. Note the large tree: it IS an elm tree!

On October 17 RIPS members met at the Deere-Wiman Carriage House at 7:00 p.m. for a special program on Mail Order Homes by Rebecca Hunter, a researcher on historical architecture from Elgin, Illinois. These houses were sold through catalogs such as Sears Roebuck and Montgomery Ward between 1906 and 1945. For more information check out her website at http://www.kithouse.com

RIPS now has blogging! Click on http://blogs.rockislandpreservation.org to tell us about your old house or ask questions about preserving it.

Preservation awards for 2006 were given out at the City Council meeting on Monday, May 21 at 6:45 p.m. Click on the link above to see them.

Our Mission

We are a city wide organization in Rock Island, Illinois, that advocates for preservation of our built environment through public education, research of historic buildings and sites and registration of significant historical places with local, state and federal authorities.

Our Activities and Projects

We raise public awareness of historic buildings and neighborhoods by activities such as:
Annual Preservation Awards
Postcards from Home column in the Rock Island Argus
Neighborhood walking tours
Production of tour guides and booklets
Quarterly newsletter
Informal assistance to people interested in researching the history of their home or building
Survey of recent architecture project (in process)
Rock Island Architects project (in process)
Discounted Old House Journal Subscriptions

Become a Member

We meet at 7:00 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month at various locations. As a member you will receive a quarterly newsletter, email agendas before meetings and minutes afterwards at your request. We do NOT distribute your email address to others. While your active participation is welcomed, inactive (dues only) memberships are also welcome.

For more information contact us at rips@rockislandpreservation.org

Membership Application:

Fill it out, print it and mail it along with a $10 check to:

Rock Island Preservation Society
PO Box 3261
Rock Island, IL 61204-3261