“African Americans in Rockford – Lincoln’s Era” Exhibit at Rockford Public Library
Library Display Honors Black History Month
Throughout February, in honor of Black History Month, the new exhibit, “African Americans in Rockford – Lincoln’s Era,” will be on display at the Main Library, 215 N. Wyman St., near the Local History Room on the 3rd floor. This exhibit, created by the Adult Services Department in 2009, highlights 13 African Americans from the 1830s to 1870s. The following featured individuals and their families lived in Rockford: Lewis Lemon, Isaac Wilson, Reuben Armstrong, David & Rebecca Williams, James Williams, Anna Williams, Harriet Tucker, Ryan & Mary Prince Tucker, and Isaac Donnelly. The nationally-famous orators Hezekiah Ford Douglass (who lived in Belvidere), Frederick Douglass, and Sojourner Truth spoke in Rockford on occasion. This exhibit is based in large part on the book, African Americans in Early Rockford, 1834-1871, by John L. Molyneaux, published by Rockford Public Library in 2000.
For more information, please visit our events calendar online at www.rockfordpubliclibrary/events.
About the Rockford Public Library
The Rockford Public Library, founded in 1872 as the second library in Illinois, currently has six facilities, including the Main Library and five Branch Libraries. The Rockford Public Library's mission is to enhance community life and development by informing, educating, entertaining, and providing cultural enrichment to all people of all ages by collecting information to address the diverse interests of our dynamic community.
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