Original Stories From Rockford's Past

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

Sue Lewandowski is the Board President for the Ethnic Heritage Museum and she has a real passion for Rockford History. 

Donald Hamilton Brown, an African-American, was born in Jackson, Tennessee, on June 22, 1925, to Mr. and Mrs. Robert Brown. His family moved to Rockford a year later.

There was much debate at the time about whether the bullets that struck him were actually meant for him or not, but one thing was abundantly clear on that August night in 1930: Joe Giovingo was dead. One minute, Joe was standing on South Main Street speaking to two detectives, and the next, he was crumpled on the sidewalk in a pool of blood.

A story about a man having a mouse in his house may not seem very newsworthy today, but that is exactly what was in the headlines of the Rockford newspapers in December 1883.  Apparently, Mr. Blakesley, who lived “at the foot of Winnebago Street” during that time, had been awakened by strange noises in the night.  He described the sounds much like the singing of a canary.

Some of you may know that I travel all over the country to visit haunted historical locations.  I am very blessed to have a partner that never hesitates to drive …

The people that lived on Pershing Avenue all knew each other. This was pretty typical in Rockford in 1961.  It was a different city back then.  People knew and looked …

Frank Cichella’s life in Rockford was pretty typical for the early 1900s. He wasn’t from Rockford originally. In fact, he wasn’t from the United States. Frank came here when he was 16 years old, leaving his home of Ferentino, Italy.

“Time heals all wounds” is a familiar saying, and while it may work that way for some things, even time can’t heal the wounds that the families of Stan Skridla and Mary Jane Reed have suffered.  It has been 66 years