Anna Peck Sill’s Grave Marking Ceremony Held on May 18, 2023

The Robert Hempstead Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Colonists presented a dedication of a grave marker for Anna Peck Sill, Founder and Principal of Rockford Female Seminary on May 18, 2023 at Greenwood Cemetery. Rockford Female Seminary would later become Rockford College and then Rockford University.

Enjoy these scans of the event program and a photo before the unveiling of the grave marker.

 

(end of event program)

Photo before the unveiling taken by Amber Kresol on May 18, 2023.

At Rockford College’s 90th Birthday Celebration

Source: Rockford Morning Star, October 11, 1936.

Also found in the “Rockford College” binder from our Rockfordiana Files. This collection is located in RPL’s Local History Room.

St. Anthony’s School Football Team of 1959

Front row, left to right: Michael Vacardo, Michael Liberatore, Louis Saporito, Ross Zammuto, Thomas Girardi.  Second Row, left to right: Charles Charmetta, Michael Girardi, Joseph Falzone, Alex Abate, Vito Rotello, Phillip Graceffa, B. Gullo, Anthony Bovi.  Last row, left to right: Father James, Donald DiGiovanni, Joseph Sola, Assistant Coach Mickey Poleto, Michael Bedin, Coach Fred Vernetti, Jerry Girardi, Assistant Coach B. Mioni, Carl Marinelli, Edwin Brown, Alex Giacomazzo, Albert Liberatore, Father Anastasius.

Source: Golden Jubilee: St. Anthony of Padua Church   R 282.9773 ST. ANTHONY

Rockford Schools

In August of 1857, Rockford was divided into two school districts.  District 1 was

east of the river and had John Quincy Adams School.  District 2 was on the west

side and had Abraham Lincoln School.  Total enrollment was around 900.

Freeman School also was built in 1857.  A new district came into

being in the Kent and Montague area in 1858.  Still another was the John Hall

School at 414 North Third, named for Board of Education member John Hall.

This was built in 1866 and rebuilt in 1892.

Colonel E. F. Ellis School was the next school erected in Rockford in 1868 on

West State Street and rebuilt in 1899 on Elm Street.  It was named for the Civil

War hero.  Present-day Ellis School is the Ellis Arts Academy on Central Ave.

The latter two are shown below.

Hall School (1866)

Ellis Arts Academy

Other early schools are shown below:

 

Freeman School (1857)

 

Marsh School (1872)

 

Nelson School (1881)

 

:

Montague School (1883)

 

Garrison School (1887)

 

Lincoln School (1857)

 

 

Wight School (1889)

 

High School (1885)

 

 

Source:  Rockford Ill/Photo-Gravure Views and Brief Descriptive Sketch of the Forest City,

Rockford Real Estate Exchange, Rockford Ill, 1893.

Rockford To-Day, Rockford Morning Star, The Clark Company Press, Rockford,

Illinois, 1903.

 

 

 

 

 

Rockford Schools–Barbour

Source:  E. C. Kropp Co., Milwaukee.

Barour School opened in 1916 and is named after Rockford educator C. F. Barbour.  The new Barbour School (Pictured

below) is the home of the Dual Language Immersion Program.

 

Source:  https://www.google.com/search?q=barbour+school+in+rockford