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Hauberg Estate works to uncover hidden gem

"The funny thing is, it was all silted over so we just had to find it."

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — A piece of history is literally being uncovered in Rock Island. The Hauberg Estate's latest restoration project has taken months of digging, tree cutting and discovery.

It's three ponds, plus waterfalls, stretching down the backside of the property. It's originally the work of a famous landscape architect Jens Jensen.

"He did almost 400 private estates and maybe 30 to 35 are complete," says Todd Linscott, chairman of the Friends of Hauberg Civic Center. "Most of them had been broken apart, redeveloped. And here's one in Rock Island that's complete."

Linscott says the area was a cow pasture before the Hauberg Estate. Now, they've found original stonework, dams and drains from the man-made ponds they can use as they restore them. They've removed all the silt and shaped out the pond beds. They'll be planting wildflowers next, which will attract birds, bees and butterflies.

"The incentive here it to really makes this shine for a long time," says Mik Holgersson, owner of Vismark Inc. who's been working on the project. "That's probably my favorite part of it."

A little live action for everyone!

Posted by Friends of Hauberg Civic Center on Sunday, May 23, 2021

He says the open space, running water and flowers will bring new life to the hillside.

"It's kind of kind of amazing," Linscott says, "but it'll be such a big pop of color and make a big difference in just how the estate looks."

Linscott says $22,000 has gone into the project so far, mostly covered by grants from the city and county. He says several companies have donated free or discounted work to help out.

The ponds will be rededicated on June 13.

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