Rockford's Past

Sometimes history appears in the strangest places.  Most people know that Sinnissippi Golf Course is a historic place.  It is the Rockford Park District’s oldest golf course.

Rockford has reported ghost stories for many years now including a news article that was featured in the Rockford Morning Star June 30, 1935 edition.  This particular report originated from rumors of a “ghost” on the courthouse lawn.

Many people in Rockford wondered if John Germano had some premonition on the night of April 17, 1938.  John Germano, a Winnebago County Special Deputy Sheriff, was scheduled to be on a desk that evening.  John learned that Deputy Sheriff Clarence Wollan was assigned to issue an arrest warrant for Albert Laws for disorderly conduct.

The Camp Sumter Military Prison at Andersonville, Georgia was of one of the biggest Confederate prisoners of war camps during the Civil War.  It operated for 14 months and 45,000 Union prisoners passed through the gates even though the camp was designed for 10,000 men.

Cedar Bluff is tree lined and while the tombstones are not as ornate as those found in Greenwood Cemetery, the people here have just as rich histories. Some of Rockford’s founding families were laid to rest here.

Sam Rotolo probably never knew what hit him. Sam was standing on the road with a flash light to warn people about an accident just as he had countless times before.  Sam worked as a Deputy Sheriff for two years and was assigned to the traffic division. The newspapers are filled with the cases he investigated from 1935 and 1936.

Driving the narrow back roads of Winnebago County in search of small cemeteries is like taking a trip back through time.  It doesn’t take much to imagine the way the …

“The best woman in Winnebago County died last night.” These words were spoken after the death of Hononegah Mack in 1847.

The Der Rathskeller Restaurant on Auburn Street has been known for its tasty food and unique atmosphere since the 1930’s.