Welcome to Rockford, Illinois!
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Founded in 1834, Rockford, Illinois is known for its fascinating history, people, and places.
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Preserving our History
The Rockford Historical Society Board of Trustees meet every third Monday of the month at Veterans Memorial Hall. The society hosts various events throughout the year and partners with local businesses, museums, and government facilities to keep Rockford's history alive and thriving.
815 ProudEvery August 15th Rockford celebrates 815 Day. The most dominate phone number area code for our town is "815" and has thus developed into a symbol of pride for Rockfordians.
Screw City Rockford is known by many nicknames - one of the most interesting being Screw City or the Screw Capital of the World. This name has developed from the billions of screws, bolts, and fasteners that many factories produced for manufacturers around the world.
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From Midway to RockfordIn 1834, Germanicus Kent, Lewis Lemon, and Thatcher Blake founded a settlement they named "Midway", as it was located midway between Chicago and Galena, IL. By 1837, the village of Midway was renamed Rockford in recognition of the rocky river ford the settlers founded our city near.
The Forest City Early settlers called it the “Forest City” because of the river valley's verdant woods. Today, Rockford still has 7,000 acres of parkland, tree-lined streets, an exceptionally green downtown, a riverside trail, and several magnificent public gardens.
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A Message from the RHS Board:
The Rockford Historical Society is a non-collecting organization. As a non-collecting entity, we do not accept artifact donations or maintain collections. The Rockford Historical Society will not accept artifacts that are mailed or left unattended at Veterans Memorial Hall. Items that are left unattended or mailed will be considered property of the Society and may be disposed of in any manner the Society deems fit.
If you would like to submit an object/artifact for consideration to a museum’s collection, please contact one of the various Rockford historical museums:
Burpee Museum of Natural History – www.burpee.org
Midway Village Museum – www.midwayvillage.com
Tinker Swiss Cottage Museum - www.tinkercottage.com
Ethnic Heritage Museum (& Graham Ginestra House) - www.ethnicheritagemuseum.org/
Swedish Historical Society – www.swedishhistorical.org
Veterans Memorial Hall – www.veteransmemorialhall.com
If you would like to submit an object/artifact for consideration to a museum’s collection, please contact one of the various Rockford historical museums:
Burpee Museum of Natural History – www.burpee.org
Midway Village Museum – www.midwayvillage.com
Tinker Swiss Cottage Museum - www.tinkercottage.com
Ethnic Heritage Museum (& Graham Ginestra House) - www.ethnicheritagemuseum.org/
Swedish Historical Society – www.swedishhistorical.org
Veterans Memorial Hall – www.veteransmemorialhall.com