1905- PAST AND PRESENT OF THE CITY OF
ROCKFORD AND, WINNEBAGO COUNTY, ILLINOIS

BY CHARLES A. CHURCH, ASSISTED BY H. H. WALDO

The First Dam 1844

The attempt to utilize the waterpower was the first step in the transition of Rockford from a hamlet to a manufacturing city. In February 28,1843 an act of the legislature was approved, to improve the navigation of the rapids in Rock River at Rockford, and to incorporate the Rockford Hydraulic and Manufacturing Company. The corporation was given power to construct a dam across the river, which should raise the water not more than seven feet.

The company was also required to erect and maintain such locks as might be necessary for the passage of steamboats drawing three feet of water. At that time the navigation of the Rock River was an open question, and the government might assert its control of the river as a navigable stream. A dam would obstruct navigation: hence the company was required to construct locks for the passage of boats, whenever they should become necessary.

The law specified the rates of toll which the company should be entitled to collect for the passage of boats through the locks; and it was given power to detain such craft until the toll should be paid. Daniel S. Haight, Germanicus Kent, Samuel D. Preston, Laomi Peake, Charles I. Horsman, George Haskell and J. C. Goodhue were appointed commissioners to receive subscriptions to the stock. The capital stock was placed at fifty thousand dollars, divided into five hundred shares of one hundred dollars each.

The corporation was given power to increase its capital stock to a sum not exceeding two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. The law expressly provided that the state might, at any time after the construction of the dam and locks, assume the ownership of the same: the state, however, was to keep them in good repair.

All the hydraulic power was to remain absolutely the property of the company. July 22, 1843, books were opened for subscriptions to the capital stock. By an act of the legislature, approved February 11, 1845, the law of 1843 was amended.

In the spring of 1844, the Rockford Hydraulic Company was fully organized. The dam was located a few rods above the present waterworks. Directly above, the main channel of the stream shifted abruptly from the east to the west shore.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.” —Margaret Mead

The First Dam 1844

The attempt to utilize the waterpower was the first step in the transition of Rockford from a hamlet to a manufacturing city. In February 28,1843 an act of the legislature was approved, to improve the navigation of the rapids in Rock River at Rockford, and to incorporate the Rockford Hydraulic and Manufacturing Company. The corporation was given power to construct a dam across the river, which should raise the water not more than seven feet.

The company was also required to erect and maintain such locks as might be necessary for the passage of steamboats drawing three feet of water. At that time the navigation of the Rock River was an open question, and the government might assert its control of the river as a navigable stream. A dam would obstruct navigation: hence the company was required to construct locks for the passage of boats, whenever they should become necessary.

The law specified the rates of toll which the company should be entitled to collect for the passage of boats through the locks; and it was given power to detain such craft until the toll should be paid. Daniel S. Haight, Germanicus Kent, Samuel D. Preston, Laomi Peake, Charles I. Horsman, George Haskell and J. C. Goodhue were appointed commissioners to receive subscriptions to the stock. The capital stock was placed at fifty thousand dollars, divided into five hundred shares of one hundred dollars each.

The corporation was given power to increase its capital stock to a sum not exceeding two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. The law expressly provided that the state might, at any time after the construction of the dam and locks, assume the ownership of the same: the state, however, was to keep them in good repair.

All the hydraulic power was to remain absolutely the property of the company. July 22, 1843, books were opened for subscriptions to the capital stock. By an act of the legislature, approved February 11, 1845, the law of 1843 was amended.

In the spring of 1844, the Rockford Hydraulic Company was fully organized. The dam was located a few rods above the present waterworks. Directly above, the main channel of the stream shifted abruptly from the east to the west shore.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.” —Margaret Mead

The Waterpower District Today

Turn Back The Pages Of Time

South Main Street Corridor

"Progress toward a better day for cities owes more than might be guessed to the impetus of dreams,
and hope and high resolve, for these furnish the inspiration to practical achievements."

Charles Mulford Robinson, The Rockford Plan, 1918

The Capitol Theater

The Capitol Theater was designed in Spanish Colonial style on South Main Street, the facade was faced with buff-colored brick, a set of four arched windows over the main entrance, terra-cotta medallions just under the cornice and a deep red Spanish tile roof.

Tony Domino and Ted Ingrassia built and opened the Capitol Theater on Saturday, February 4, 1928.

The architect, Frederic Klein, also designed the Coronado Theatre in Rockford. The Capitol Theatre’s “cloud machine” that once graced the Capitol is now in use at the Coronado Theatre. when you attend events at the Coronado Performing Arts Center (as the theatre is known today), the “clouds” that cross that ceiling, and that give the illusion of an evening in a courtyard is from the Capital Theater.

1918 - THE FIRST ITALIAN GROCERY STORE ON SOUTH MAIN STREET

The first Italian grocery store in Rockford, Il was next door to the theater, The Ingrassia grocery store which Salvatore Ingrassia owned, and the tile is still present to this day.

In 1918 the Ingrassia Building was erected at 1128-30 South Main St., the grocery located in front and the family residence in the rear.

The new store had its grand opening in 1919 and remained in business until 1931.

Rockford Historic Sites

Discover historic sites and districts within the Rockford area with this interactive map.
Please take a moment to view historic locations that are woven into the City of Rockford’s history.

Rockford Historic Sites Map

About This Visual Legacy Filmed Presentation

A Visual History of Rockford. Often, the term “visual history” is applied to visual images. This Filmed Presentation is a record of visual relics of the past, such as drawings, graphics, and other non‐verbal representations. In this sense, the viewer has a visual history that can be defined as learning about the past with our eyes. We believe that visual materials are vital to understanding Rockford’s past. This educational impact can be different from narrative films or even documentaries. However, while history is recounted in documents and words written by historians, it is also told by those who experienced it and who visually documented it. While the term “visual history” seems to focus only on the image, when we use the term “visual history,” we referto the totality of audio and video that combine to create meaning and message in a videotaped visual narrative

Visual Syntax

Visual Syntax is the sequences, scenes, and visual order to communicate ideas in the same way that written language combines letters, words, sentences, and paragraphs. Working with the Visual Syntax, we have combined words to give testimony to the presentation. Visual language allows us to record these ideas in an even more universal way than spoken words. The visual Syntax, in this story, the viewer will see “visual history (visual testimony)” interchangeably with “video testimony.” The visual history testimony is a snapshot to capture the City’s life story within a broader historical context. Enjoy

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