The site is located at the foot of Centennial Bridge in downtown Rock Island.
Richard Quijas Brunk is the Chairman of the Rock Island County Board. He says, "We've got the walkways put in as well as some pads for some benches which we recently ordered. So people will actually be able to sit out on the Square. And then we also, just in the last probably three weeks, Living Lands and Waters was on site. They donated a handful of trees which they planted. And the grass has also been laid. So hopefully we'll see that coming to full growth early in the spring."
A big part of the courthouse square project is a new, bronze statue of a Civil War soldier. Originally, it was marble and was perched on top of a 35-foot pedestal and base which needs work. The 1869 Civil War monument features about 400 names of soldiers who died in the war. But the names are illegible, so they'll be placed on bronze plaques.
"We also have a bronze plaque of the Gettysburg address. There is a monument for the Spanish-American War as well. Also, a part of, I believe, the SS Maine, and then our large, multi-war monument. And all of those we will be looking at getting cleaned up and resurfaced."
The Rock Island County Board will continue to work with local volunteers to decide how to proceed and pay for the monuments to be repaired and weatherized.
Members of the Quad Cities Chapter of the Civil War Roundtable, Rock Island County Historical Society, and local reenactors helped plan and raise money to pay for the new statue. After Moline artist and sculptor, John Ketner re-created the soldier in bronze, the county unveiled it in May, 2018. It's now on display inside the justice center.
