In 1838, the first burial occurred in Rockford, Illinois, shortly after the settlement was founded. A man drowned in the Rock River and his body was buried on a plot which is now near the intersection of Cedar and Winnebago Streets. The daughter of Germanicus Kent was buried nearby, making it the first city burial ground. In the early 1840s, a new area was briefly used for burials on the south side of State Street. In 1844, the property was exchanged for two lots on the north bank of Kent's Creek. It was chartered the next year as the Rockford Cemetery Association. After another cemetery was chartered in 1853, the Rockford Cemetery Association's land became known as the West Side Cemetery.[1]
In 1852, the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad connected to Rockford and needed to use the lands of the West Side Cemetery. The cemetery moved to the northeast corner of Main and Auburn Streets. It was officially incorporated on June 23, 1852. The land was selected because it was 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north of the business district and thus safe from another forced relocation. An additional 17 acres (6.9 ha) were purchased from D. C. Littlefield in 1879.[1]
Chapel and crematoryedit
In 1887, the cemetery decided to build a chapel to provide shelter for services during inclement weather. The chapel was designed by Henry Lord Gay in the Richardsonian Romanesque style. Its tower was meant to resember a Roman War Tower. A 7 feet (2.1 m) onyx was installed, engraved with the named of those who died in combat. The chapel may have served as a war memorial until Memorial Hall was constructed downtown in 1903.[1]
By the 1920s, cremation had gained popularity as an alternative to burial. Frank B. Gibson was commissioned to design a crematory addition for the chapel. The first cremation occurred on October 20, 1921. After the crematory opened, the cemetery board of trustees decided to change the name to Greenwood Cemetery. On August 28, 2012, the chapel and crematory was recognized by the National Park Service with a listing on the National Register of Historic Places.[1]
greenwood, cemetery, rockford, illinois, greenwood, cemetery, acre, cemetery, rockford, illinois, founded, 1852, largest, oldest, city, greenwood, cemetery, chapel, crematory, listed, national, register, historic, places, greenwood, cemetery, chapel, crematory. Greenwood Cemetery is a 100 acre 40 ha cemetery in Rockford Illinois Founded in 1852 it is the largest and oldest in the city The Greenwood Cemetery Chapel and Crematory was listed on the National Register of Historic Places Greenwood Cemetery Chapel and CrematoryU S National Register of Historic PlacesShow map of IllinoisShow map of the United StatesLocation1011 Auburn St Rockford IllinoisCoordinates42 17 25 N 89 4 40 W 42 29028 N 89 07778 W 42 29028 89 07778Built1891 1891 Architectural styleRichardsonian RomanesqueNRHP reference No 12000554Added to NRHPAugust 28 2012 Contents 1 History 1 1 Chapel and crematory 2 Notable burials 3 References 4 External linksHistory editIn 1838 the first burial occurred in Rockford Illinois shortly after the settlement was founded A man drowned in the Rock River and his body was buried on a plot which is now near the intersection of Cedar and Winnebago Streets The daughter of Germanicus Kent was buried nearby making it the first city burial ground In the early 1840s a new area was briefly used for burials on the south side of State Street In 1844 the property was exchanged for two lots on the north bank of Kent s Creek It was chartered the next year as the Rockford Cemetery Association After another cemetery was chartered in 1853 the Rockford Cemetery Association s land became known as the West Side Cemetery 1 In 1852 the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad connected to Rockford and needed to use the lands of the West Side Cemetery The cemetery moved to the northeast corner of Main and Auburn Streets It was officially incorporated on June 23 1852 The land was selected because it was 1 5 miles 2 4 km north of the business district and thus safe from another forced relocation An additional 17 acres 6 9 ha were purchased from D C Littlefield in 1879 1 Chapel and crematory edit In 1887 the cemetery decided to build a chapel to provide shelter for services during inclement weather The chapel was designed by Henry Lord Gay in the Richardsonian Romanesque style Its tower was meant to resember a Roman War Tower A 7 feet 2 1 m onyx was installed engraved with the named of those who died in combat The chapel may have served as a war memorial until Memorial Hall was constructed downtown in 1903 1 By the 1920s cremation had gained popularity as an alternative to burial Frank B Gibson was commissioned to design a crematory addition for the chapel The first cremation occurred on October 20 1921 After the crematory opened the cemetery board of trustees decided to change the name to Greenwood Cemetery On August 28 2012 the chapel and crematory was recognized by the National Park Service with a listing on the National Register of Historic Places 1 Notable burials editRoss Barnes baseball player William Bebb 19th Governor of Ohio James Henry Breasted archaeologist John T Buckbee U S Representative Stan Campbell football player Edward F W Ellis member of California State Assembly Julia Lathrop social reformer William Lathrop U S Representative John Henry Manny inventor Anna Peck Sill educator Loyd Wheaton Medal of Honor recipientReferences edit a b c d Registration form PDF gis hpa state il us Archived from the original PDF on 2016 03 04 External links edit nbsp Media related to Greenwood Cemetery Rockford Illinois at Wikimedia Commons Greenwood Cemetery and Chapel Greenwood Cemetery at Find a Grave nbsp Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Greenwood Cemetery Rockford Illinois amp oldid 1173217980, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
