The Milan Watch Factory

The Old Watch Factory on Van Druff's Island was a place of mystery as it was never used for manufacturing watches. The building was onced used as a chair factory and at one time a wagon factory and also a piano factory. There are conflicting stories as to why it was never usd as a watch factory. According to some accounts a promoter visited the area looking for subscriptions to move a watch factory from Michigan.

The only ones interested were businessmen from Milan who bought some of the stock and found a site and got the project off the ground. After they heard what the men from Milan had done the more leary Rock Island and Moline investors joined and pushed the project forward.

When stock holders met in November of 1870 the Milan investors asked that the directors to locate the factory on Van Druff's Island. Because only one of the directors were from Milan there was a debate about the proposed location. This argument went on for several months as to where the factory would be located and whether Rock Island or Milan would invest the most money. Eventually the argument was settled and a report in the rock Island Argus said that "Rock Island Watch Factory" was to opened near Milan and it would employ 250 people. It said it was the "greatest project ever introduced in the area."

The last known article about this was an article that reported that the Ann Arbor Watch Works had recieved $50,000 for machinery and $30,000 for patents on an eight day watch.

Several people had different stories as to what happened with the Watch Factory. There are some who said it was an elaborate hoax and some that say it was a swindle. Then there was a story that said the machinery bought for the factory was not suitable and the project was lost.

Historic Rock Island

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