ROCKFORD, Illinois (WTVO) – On July 3, 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt made the journey from Washington here to Forest City. His travels took him to the grand opening of the Veterans Memorial Hall and Museum.
It was the first Winnebago County’s building dedicated exclusively to service members. Today, almost 120 years later, the museum is still receiving visitors for the same reason.
“In a building like this, there are many connections,” says museum director Scott Lewandowski.
If you drive through downtown Rockford, you’ll find the Veterans Memorial Hall and Museum on Main Street.
“The building was built in 1903 at the request of civil war veterans,” said Lewandowski.
The first building of its kind for Winnebago County was no easy task.
“What makes this building unique is that the Civil War veterans in front of Memorial Hall and the State of Illinois could build monuments and memorials and put little things in parks and the like, but they never had a building to build.” So it took a Rockford legislature to go to Springfield and change a law that would allow a government agency to collect taxpayers’ money and build a building, ”said Lewandowski.
With just 25 cents off your property tax bill, the museum welcomes visitors from all over the Stateline and the county – all eager to catch a glimpse of moments frozen in time.
“We were built to house and display the relics of the veterans on duty. We are not a war memorial, we do not glorify war. We’re here to honor the veterans of Winnebago County, ”said Lewandowski.
With more than 40 exhibits to browse through and new artifacts frequently donated, a trip to Veterans Memorial Hall can be an hour or a day.
“We have old musket rifles, we have swords, we have the Cosper pistol, it’s good. But it’s more about the stories, about the immaterial things. The artifacts help tell the story, but for me the story is the most valuable, ”said Lewandowski.
Lewandowski says one of the museum’s largest artifacts is its own bones.
“The building is made of Bedford, Indiana limestone, the same limestone as the Pentagon and other federal buildings. It’s a clean building, its architecture is strong, and for me anyway with the columns and all that, ”he explained.
Lewandowski says a visit is a great way to honor local veterans’ sacrifices.
“When you’re in public and you might see a guy in a hat saying ‘Korea’ or ‘Iraq’ or something and you think, ‘Well that’s a veteran’. But you really don’t know what that person went through, ”added Lewandowski.
“It takes a special kind of person to sacrifice their time to serve our country. And you know they might not make it back, you know And that is something that is difficult to imagine. “