Midway Village & Museum Center
Museum & Art Gallery in Rockford, IL
The museum campus consists of a Victorian village with 26 historical buildings filled with artifacts of the era as well as several pretty nineteenth century gardens that depict life in northern Illinois from 1890 to 1910. Interpreters in authentic period dress are available seasonally for guided tours. The main museum building holds huge group meeting rooms and exhibit space with a number of permanent exhibits reflecting Rockford's history and culture that include The Girls of Summer: Rockford Peaches of the AAGPBL, Queen City of the Prairies: Rockford's First 20 Years and The Missing Link: Socks.
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Midway Village & Museum Center
read moreA big thank you to all of you who donated to help Midway Village Museum acquire treasures from The Camp Grant Museum. Thanks to the generous donations from our community, we were able to save some of the artifacts that tell the story of Rockford's Camp Grant. Contributions can still be made to help support the cataloguing, digitizing and eventual display of these artifacts and archives. You can donate to the cause by credit card or PayPal on our Donations page. Select "Camp Grant Collection Fund" in the dropdown menu named "Donation Type" in the middle of the website landing page.
About Us
read moreMidway Village Museum, the best institution for collecting, preserving and interpreting the history of the Rockford region, is committed to educating and enriching our community by providing state-of-the-art exhibits, programs and events. Midway Village Museum will be the primary institution where Rockford's diverse citizens gather to understand their community's past and to discuss the challenges of the future. Midway Village Museum was organized in 1968 by the Swedish, Harlem and Rockford Historical Societies for the purpose of collecting, preserving and interpreting the history of the Rockford area.
Midway Village Home Schooling Resources
read moreMidway Village Museum can provide custom programs to meet your home school academic needs for either individual families or home school groups. Most of the museum's regular education programs can be modified to meet your needs. For more information on curriculum and program content contact our Museum Educator at 815-397-9112 x 106 or email educator@midwayvillage.com. To schedule a program, please use our Tour Request Form. The living history village will open for field trips starting in the spring, and tour dates do fill quickly.
Caring for Your Own Historical
read moreMany of us have antiques or family heirlooms that we treasure. Caring for and preserving these objects is complicated. The following resources provide a starting point for caring for your own historical artifacts. Jane S. and Richard W. Long, Caring for Your Family Treasures: A Concise Guide to Caring for Your Cherished Belongings. Don Williams and Louisa Jaggar, Saving Stuff: How to Care for and Preserve Your Collectibles, Heirlooms, and Other Prized Possessions. For more information and resources, For assistance feel to contact Laura Furman, Curator of Collections at 815-397-9112, ext.
Midway Village Museum Collections
read moreSince 1974 Midway Village Museum has been collecting artifacts and documents that record Rockford history. Today the Museum's collection contains approximately 150,000 objects which are used for exhibits, educational programs, and research. Historypin is an website that allows for individuals and institutions to upload historical images. The Collections Department at Midway Village is happy to announce that we are now a part of this great initiative. These images can help with research on the Rockford area, and if you are interested in any of the images, please go to our research page here.
Digital Collections at Midway Village
read moreThe Midway Village Museum Collections Department is pleased to provide online access to some of its most frequently requested photographs, postcards and documents. The Museum has a collection of more than 150,000 items documenting Rockford's history. In 2017 and 2018, through the support of the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois and the Illinois State Historical Records Board 2,000 historic images and documents are being digitized and uploaded for your viewing. Please note that each image has been scanned at a low resolution, watermarked, and uploaded with identification information.
Midway Village Museum Donations
read moreDonations added to the museum collection through the generosity of individuals and corporations help us fulfill our mission as interpreters of Rockford's history. We have put together a list of frequently asked questions that people have in regard to making a donation. A phone call is the best way to ask about a possible donation. To discuss your object, please contact Curator of Collections & Exhibits Laura Furman at 815-397-9112 ext. 108. You can also email information about your object to curator@midwayvillage.com.
Midway Group Tours
read moreThe Midway Village Museum Education Department offers a wide variety of history themed programs and events for all ages covering time periods from early pioneer settlement through World War II. Our education staff prides themselves in providing quality history programs that are interactive and hands-on whenever possible to interpret the rich history of Rockford and the northern Illinois region. For more information on curriculum and program content contact our Museum Educator at 815-397-9112, ext 106.