The Rockford Public Library is celebrating one hundred-fifty years of service to the Rockford Community this year. This seems like good time to share some of the tales of its history. One of the favorite stories is about the beautifully carved wooden dog that was part of the Rockton Centre Branch for decades. This work
The Grinnell Senior Center sits on one of the most historic streets in Beloit, Wisconsin. According to the Historic Preservation Booklet : A Guide for Property Owners published in 1997, Bluff Street is one of first residential streets in the city. The neighborhood was formed shortly after the building of the first bridge crossing the
The Holiday Season between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day is often referred to as “The Most Wonderful Time of Year”. But others point out that there is something beyond the colorful lights and tinsel that can make this time of the year seem eerie and dark. The shorter days and much longer nights leave a
Rockford has been fortunate to have many men and women whose names have put the Forest City on the map. One of these extraordinary people, named Sammy Mandell, came to light in the 1920s and ’30s. Though most people won’t recognize the name, Sammy was once the Boxing Lightweight Champion of the World. Sammy’s story
According to the Civil War trust website, there are over 400 documented cases of women disguising themselves as men in order to fight in the Civil War. The man known as Albert Cashier was really Jennie Irene Hodgers and became the most famous of these brave women. Jennie Hodgers was born on Christmas Day in
Traveling the backroads in any state is one of my favorite past times and the last trip was no different. I had a long weekend so my partner and I threw a couple of things in a bag and ran out the door. It has long been a dream of mine to travel the entire
Joseph Bush was killed in what the May 14, 1926 edition of the Daily Register Gazette newspaper called the “strangest accident” in the annals of the police. Prohibition was the law of the land from 1920 until 1933 but it was a tough law to enforce. Bootlegging was a very lucrative business in the big
John Travis served in the Rockford Rifles as a part of the Illinois 45th Regiment. It was Travis’s job as the Commissary Sergeant to make sure the soldiers had enough rations and supplies. But Travis took his job further and would run food and coffee to the men on the front lines. He also assisted
Little Bohemia Lodge is located in Manitowish Waters in Northern Wisconsin. It is a nice little supper club that claims “fine dining with a Northwoods touch!” That is not its only claim to fame, however. Little Bohemia’s main claim to fame is that it was the location of the Dillinger gang’s shootout with the F.B.I.
Traveling the backroads in any state is one of my favorite past times and the last trip was no different. I had a long weekend so my partner and I threw a couple of things in a bag and ran out the door. It has long been a dream of mine to travel the entire