Veterans Memorial Hall and Museum (formerly known as Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall) one of the oldest museums in Winnebago County, Illinois, United States is located one block west of the Rock River in downtown Rockford, Illinois. Construction on the Hall began in 1901 and was finished in 1902, but dedication was delayed. On June 3, 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt. visited Rockford for the opening and dedication of what was then known as Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall. Although initially conceived to honor Winnebago County veterans of the Mexican–American War, American Civil War, and Spanish-American War, supporters of the hall adapted it to honor Winnebago County veterans of all decades. The building is administered by the Winnebago County Board.
Description The architecture of Veterans Memorial Hall is classical Greek revival meaning that two sides are identical. The building has stairs with columns and doubles doors on the east and west sides, making them visually identical sides. Decorative façades of Indiana Bedford limestone cover all four sides of the building. Carved in the stone portico of the building on the west façade are the words "Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall" and the date "1902". The red tile roof is topped with a skylight. Flagpoles stand on both the east and west sides of the building and a sign acknowledging Main Street as a Blue Star Highway graces the west side garden. The lawn on the east side of the building underwent extensive renovation in 2016. It is now home to the Armistice-Memorial to Peace, which is a memorial to honor Veterans and educate the community of past Armistice/Veterans Day events at its location as well as inform visitors about the County owned Civil War Statue mounted on a column from Rockford's original Carnegie Library. Veterans Memorial Hall contains three floors, including the basement, all of which are serviced by an elevator. An auditorium and stage take up most of the upper floor. Numerous museum exhibits fill the main floor and the basement level also has exhibits and conference space. The building continues to serve its original mission of honoring local veterans as a museum of all wars. The interior walls are elaborately painted with symbols and names associated with the Civil War and the Civil War veterans’ associations, The Spanish–American War Veterans and the Grand Army of the Republic. Permanente exhibits include large wall mounted bronze plaques containing the names of those from Winnebago County who fought and died in the Civil War. Over time, several paintings were irreparably damaged or lost due to poor maintenance and pollution; others have been covered up or painted over.
History
Construction The idea of a memorial to honor the veterans from Winnebago County was brought up as early as 1866 when W.P. Kinney, minister of the Second Congregational Church, proposed some sort of monument to honor the memory of the 2,109 soldiers and sailors from Winnebago County that served in the American Civil War. In March 1877, John D. Jackson made an unsuccessful proposal to the Winnebago County Board seeking $25,000 for the construction of a soldier's monument. In 1900, the question of a Memorial Hall was put to voters of Winnebago County; the vote ended in favor of a memorial, at 6,021 to 2,757. In December of that year, Thomas G. Lawler, commander of the Garrett L. Nevius Post #1 of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), presented a petition with signatures from than 200 veterans requesting the county build a Memorial Hall. The petition asked that the hall not only act as a memorial for veterans of the county but also be used for other county purposes. The building was designed by Bradley & Carpenter, a local architectural firm. Construction began in early 1901. The facades were built with Indiana Bedford limestone quarried from the Bedford, Indiana quarry. Construction of Memorial Hall was completed in 18 months for a total cost of $59,136.
Dedication In February 1903, a committee of five including: J.B. Whitehead, Col. Thomas L. Lawler, Amasa Hutchins, Col. Arthur E. Fisher, and William Andrews, was named to draft a letter of invitation to President Theodore Roosevelt to be present at the dedication. This committee was authorized to outline the program for the day. On June 3, 1903, a reception committee of leading citizens from Rockford and Winnebago County met Roosevelt at the train station, open carriages transported him and his party to Memorial Hall. Afterward, he raised a flag which had been flown on the Milwaukee-class vessel USS Winnebago during the Civil War.
Roosevelt returned to Rockford two more times; once on April 6, 1912, and again on September 26, 1917, when he addressed the troops at nearby Camp Grant during World War I.
The Hall On the same day that Roosevelt dedicated Memorial Hall, the local Civil War veterans held their first meeting in the building. Over the century of existence, Memorial Hall has hosted a total of over 60 different veterans or associated military groups for various events and meetings. In 1966, a large stone marker commemorating the Hall's dedication was placed on the west side of the building in front of the entrance, and in 1973, a small garden dedicated to the veterans of the Vietnam War was added.
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