A Digital Collection of Rockford, Illinois History
Artist: Eddaviel Montero
Location: 765 N. Madison Street, Rockford, IL 61107
When: This 2021 mural was a collaboration with the Rockford Public Library to celebrate the Summer Reading Challenge “Reading Colors Your World” theme.
Source: Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Rockford Public Art Trail.” Website Accessed 8/3/2023. https://www.gorockford.com/things-to-do/public-art-trail/
4th of July fireworks in downtown Rockford over the Rock River in 1984. These photographs were obtained by donation at RPL’s Community Scan Day event in the Spring of 2023.
Bridges/Buildings in view: Rockford Register Star News Tower located at 99 E State St., Jefferson Street Bridge, the United Bank of Illinois located at 120 W State St., and the Luther Center Apartments located at 111 W State St.
Source: Addresses and building names were pulled from the 1984 City Directory located in the Local History Room at RPL.
Bridges/Buildings in view: Jefferson Street Bridge, Rockford Public Library located at 215 N Wyman St., the Pioneer Marketing Associates building located at 127 N Wyman St., and the Rever’s Marina located at 222 N Water St.
Source: Addresses and building names were pulled from the 1984 City Directory located in the Local History Room at RPL.
Bridges/Buildings in view: Jefferson Street Bridge, the United Bank of Illinois located at 120 W State St., the Luther Center Apartments located at 111 W State St., the Rockford Trust Building located at 202 W State St., and the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois building located at 227 N Wyman St.
Source: Addresses and building names were pulled from the 1984 City Directory located in the Local History Room at RPL.
Source: Morning Star July 31, 1972 p.3
Kathi Kresol has always had an interest in the supernatural, but it was her own unexplained encounter that inspired her to collect and share Rockford’s spooky past.
“When we bought our first house in Rockford, we got more than we bargained for,” she says.
As a busy mother of four, Kresol had been ignoring the odd occurrences that had been happening, chalking it up to exhaustion or childish pranks. But the day she found her daughter’s lost bottle, she realized something else was going on.
“I found it five years after it was lost – inside the wall, behind the plaster and the lath board,” she says.
A trip to the library confirmed that Kresol’s home had been the site of a murder/suicide in 1958 when Geraldine Bourbon was killed by her husband.
“She was 28 when she died and I was 28 when I discovered her,” says Kresol. “I started looking into her family history, and that’s where it began.”
Kresol has been sharing Rockford’s haunted history ever since. Kresol is a member of the Rockford Historical Society, and in 2004 she formed Haunted Rockford Paranormal Tours, a group that conducts walking tours, lectures and other events year-round. She has also been published in six books, two of which – “Murder & Mayhem in Rockford, Illinois” and “Haunted Rockford, Illinois” – were solo projects. Her column, “Voices from the Grave” can be read in the Rock River Times. She also shares stories for Rockford’s Center for Learning in Retirement, using Greenwood Cemetery as her classroom.
“Rockford’s history is a wonderful tapestry,” she says. “When people join my walks and talks, even if they don’t believe, they learn about our history.”
When she isn’t investigating the paranormal, Kresol can still be found at the library. A former school library paraprofessional, she began working for the Rockford Public Library (RPL) as a page in 1999 and worked her way up to managing RPL’s Montague branch and the Mobile Library.
“Montague turns 100 years old this year, which is really neat for a history buff like me,” she says. “And the Mobile Library is a new service for the library. Both locations have wonderful and dedicated crews that work really hard to come up with great ideas for people of all ages.”
Despite her busy schedule, Kresol has found time to start a new book and looks forward to continuing her work, shining a light on some of our region’s darkest stories.
“Rockford has been very good to me,” she says. “I’ve had a magical life and I’m humbled that so many people listen to these stories and get what I’m trying to do.”
Source: “25 Most Interesting People.” Northwest Quarterly. The Annual 2023, page 116.
Articles in this series are by various writers: Chris Linden, Lindsey Lukas, Jim Taylor, Steven Bonifazi, Paul Anthony Arco, Stephanie N. Grimoldby, Paula Hendrickson, and Jermaine Pigee.
Photography by Samantha Behling.
Sitting in the maker lab at Rockford Public Library’s (RPL) Hart Interim Library, Leon Smith invokes a phrase he might have picked up from the philosophy courses he took at Rock Valley College and the University of Illinois.
“Sometimes you choose your work,” he muses. “Sometimes it chooses you.”
After retiring from the United States Air Force, Smith came home and enrolled in those philosophy courses, hoping to get into seminary. He ended up with two master’s degrees instead: one in information security and another in sports administration and management. Along the way, he worked as a substitute teacher and discovered he had a passion for sharing knowledge and ideas with others.
“I may have missed my calling as a teacher,” he says, “but it all came full circle.”
Education plays a recurring role throughout Smith’s career. He was hired by the YMCA to be a dean of students for health and physical education, teaching at-risk youth. When the funding for his program was cut, he was hired by RPL as a trainer. A year and a half later, he started running the maker lab.
“We started with one 3-D printer,” he says. “Now we have five 3-D printers, laser cutters, sewing machines, embroidering machines, a serger, a T-shirt press, a Cricut and a silhouette.”
As the maker lab grew, so did Smith’s propensity for education. He started with computer classes and helping seniors to learn the latest technologies. And, when the RPL Career Online High School program began in 2016, he was named its program manager. The program had only five spots at the start. To date, Smith has helped 35 high-school dropouts to earn their diploma and receive skills training for a number of career fields.
“I don’t care why someone dropped out of high school. I’m just here to help people get their diploma. I’ll walk with them as far as they need me to,” he says. “I believe that graduating from high school has a trickle-down effect. Once the parent gets their diploma, they’ll help their kids get one, too.”
As someone who is Rockford born and raised, Smith is proud and happy to give back to the city he loves.
“Some people from around here say, ‘I’m from Chicago,” he says. “Not me. I always say I’m from Rockford. We have problems, like any other city, but I’m proud of where I’m from.”
In addition to his work at the library, he also serves as an associate pastor at Next Level Community Church. He’s also a member of the steering committee at Transform Rockford, where he focuses on – you guessed it – adult education.
“I’m a service-minded person,” Smith says. “What centers me is helping others reach their full potential.”
Source: “25 Most Interesting People.” Northwest Quarterly. The Annual 2023, page 101.
Articles in this series are by various writers: Chris Linden, Lindsey Lukas, Jim Taylor, Steven Bonifazi, Paul Anthony Arco, Stephanie N. Grimoldby, Paula Hendrickson, and Jermaine Pigee.
Photography by Samantha Behling.
Source: Watson, Andrea V; Yates, Jeff; Rockford Register Star, Aug. 1, 2021.
Source: https://www.facebook.com/RockfordReminiscecom
Source: Corina Curry, Rockford Register Star, July 13, 2020.
Source: Rockford Register Star, July 1, 2020.
Rockford Register Star, June 30, 2019, Alex Gary.
