Cancel

Open app

Search

Scott County Freedom Rock

5.0 (1 review)

Scott County Freedom Rock Photos

Recommended Reviews - Scott County Freedom Rock

Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
Yelp app icon
Browse more easily on the app
Review Feed Illustration
Photo of Dan T.
1222
909
4302

2 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

Verify this business for free

Get access to customer & competitor insights.

Verify this business

Fred Schwengel Memorial Bridge - northern exposure...

Fred Schwengel Memorial Bridge

3.3(3 reviews)
1.7 mi

If you're coming from the Iowa side to Illinois please be careful because they have a speed trap…read morecamera so the state can get its last laugh on you which is a pretty illinois thing of Iowa / Davenport to do. It's a scenic bridge whether you come here during the day or night there's always a nice view of the Mississippi River and seeing all of the houses on the river.

Opened in 1966 the Fred Schwengel Memorial bridge is your basic deck-on-girder construction without…read morefrills, fancies, lights (removed for safety), or structural redundancies to inflate the costs. It looks like kind of a nice bridge for being just a bridge but wait! as uninspired as it looks, there's even less to this than meets the eye. Clocking in about 3500 feet long and 60 feet above the impounded water (courtesy lock and dam 14 which is a whole different review entirely) the unassuming bridge presents an odd sort of problem for the two-digit interstate numbering system. Ordinarily a third digit prepends the route number to indicate a by-pass / loop (even) or spur (odd) but both of the E-W routes "terminate" when completing the circuit around the quad-cities: east bound then south then ramps -or- west bound then north then ramps so neither is really a continuous path. a funner solution would be calling the whole thing I-280 loop and dropping the I-80 designation entirely for the dozen or so miles through town but this review is about the bridge...

Photos
Fred Schwengel Memorial Bridge
Fred Schwengel Memorial Bridge - Yeah, it's a bridge...

Yeah, it's a bridge...

Fred Schwengel Memorial Bridge - Looking north from Illinois into Iowa. The Mississippi River flows west here.

See all

Looking north from Illinois into Iowa. The Mississippi River flows west here.

Francis Park Woodland Palace

Francis Park Woodland Palace

4.0(2 reviews)
33.3 mi

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.

Photos
Francis Park Woodland Palace
Francis Park Woodland Palace
Francis Park Woodland Palace

See all

Scott County Freedom Rock - landmarks - Updated May 2026

Loading...
Loading...
Loading...