What a cool place with a neat backstory. Unfortunately we missed being able to get inside the home…read moreby about 30 minutes but enjoyed exploring the picturesque grounds regardless. It is sad to see the building falling apart in places, it is definitely in need of restoration. Still, the place is in a gorgeous setting with massive trees that make it truly peaceful. Bathrooms on site were open even when the home was not and were clean. There are plenty of videos on YouTube and history to be found online. I found a cool tie in to my personal family history. Apparently the builder of this unique home, Fred Francis, had a run in with my great grandfather and great uncle who were hunting on his property. Francis, being a naturalist and vegetarian disliked hunting and chased the two off his property. My uncle recounted the story to us and we walked the grounds. A neat place with an amazing story. Check it out here: http://www.cityofkewanee.com/document_center/FrancisParkBrochure.pdf

Don't miss an opportunity to tour the Woodland Palace. It was built by a recluse named Fred Francis…read morewho was way ahead of his time. He transported the bricks with a bicycle. It has the equivalent of air conditioning by underground tunnels. The doors opened and closed automatically. There is quite a story around this place, tours are cheap, and the inventions are fascinating. The house can be toured in 20 minutes. The surrounding park has plenty of camping spaces and hiking trails.

This is a TINY museum--one room--located in a beautiful building at the Black Hawk State Historic…read moreSite. There are dioramas, descriptions of how the Sauk and Meskwaki Indians lived their daily lives throughout the seasons, wickiups and exhibits of tools under glass. There is a large hall that can be rented for functions, and in the back of the building is a room that houses a museum dedicated to the men of the CCCs (Civilian Conservation Corps) who constructed this building with all the materials found on site. My dad is a history buff and had things to say about this place--it used to be an amusement park long ago with a slide that went down to the river, the view is ugly now with the rock quarry behind the site, this building may have burned down and been rebuilt a couple times, the statue of Black Hawk out back was once located in a plaza downtown, my grandfather played taps on his bugle as a boyscout in the hall here, etc. I would say that if you are very interested in the local history of the American Indians and you have nothing better to do, then a visit here might be useful. You can be done in little as 10 minutes. Otherwise, skip it. Note: my Garmin took me to a driveway on the other side of the little park, which is a private residence, so avoid that.

i called the library for help this morning. I'm researching a potato famine ancestor who lived…read morethere in the 1860s. I called trying to figure out how to contact the Henry County Genealogical Society. Doug suggested several resources as well as suggesting the Genealogical Society Facebook page (which I should have thought of myself). He also looked through a file of records, scanned relevant ones and sent them to me. In addition to being helpful, he was courteous and kind. A++++++++

What the library lacks in size it makes up in style. Of course, being Kewanee Illinois you don't…read moreexpect a huge library but the building is worth a stop. Wander through and notice the little details and chat with the friendly staff. Afterwards walk across the street and have a fantastic coffee from the little coffee shop. Small town America at its finest.

This library is fine. It lacks cool events like a magician, animal handler or music which it has…read morehad in the past but not lately. Most library employees are nice. It has a few paintings on some walls but if it wants art, it should have more. The cafe has some good food and has seemingly changed five times over the last decade. The best things to buy are tea and sandwiches. Any desert isn't very good. This library has Nintendo Switch, Xbox one, Playstation 4 video games. Books, magazines, blurays, dvds, graphic novels. It has some chairs next to book shelves to sit on. It doesn't have a lot of fun or cool activities lately.

This is my favorite library in the Quad Cities. I enjoy sitting upstairs by the windows and…read morereading. They have a good selection of books--if they don't carry it, delivery is quick from another library. I like their large print section and the coffee shop downstairs is cute. Plus, they regularly hold local elections, which is handy and I appreciate.