Rockton Historic District

Rockton's historic district takes in most of the village on both sides of the Rock River in Winnebago County, Illinois. Settlement began in 1835 under William Talcott and his sons, who dug a mill race in 1838 and built early sawmills, grist mills, paper mills and reaper works. Settlers came largely from upstate New York and New England, and they built sophisticated houses rather than log cabins. The district holds about 208 structures, and 51 are Greek Revival, dating from the late 1830s to 1855. Examples include the Henry Talcott House, the First Congregational Church and the Martin Ormsby House. Rockton did not prosper during the Civil War. Railroads bypassed the town, fires destroyed the mill buildings, and residents moved to Rockford and Beloit. That stagnation preserved the early houses. The boundary leaves out most of the remodeled commercial center on Main Street. Most buildings remain single-family homes, though newer construction accounts for about one fifth of the structures.