Reading from historically famous hands

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. (KWQC) - Martin Luther King Jr., Amelia Earhart, Alexander Graham Bell -- the common thread between these names, and many others, is their documented footprints in time.

The Karpeles Museum holds one of the largest private collections of historic documents in the United States, with over one million pieces of various documents in their possession.

“We have documents on all kinds of subjects, and right now our featured documents are the Chinese documents,” the Mobile Exhibit Coordinator Ann Reid said.

The museum does hold some documents year-round, like their section on early communication devices, however most of the paperwork on display does rotate in and out on a quarterly basis. What adds to the legendary stories of the documents is the building itself, which has had a rich history starting in the early 1900′s.

“It’s an old church that’s been converted to be used as the museum,” Reid said. “A lot of people drive by it but have no idea what’s in here.”

Currently the museum is working on new exhibits to highlight Black History Month, and complimenting the upcoming Figge Art Museum ‘Sporting Women’ exhibit.

Copyright 2023 KWQC. All rights reserved.