Rockford's Veterans Memorial Hall-- Part 4: Saved From Wrecking Ball Three Times

Memorial Hall has been saved from the wrecking ball three times and was renovated twice in 1966 and 1998.  To protect its historic value, it was designated an Illinois Landmark in 1974 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.

Outside the east entrance of Memorial Hall is a recently renovated space entitles "Armistice: A Memorial to Peace."  Central to this memorial is a replica of a Civil War soldier on a column, affectionately known as "The Boy in Blue."

It was originally a part of a fountain outside the old courthouse on West State Street from 1900 to 1967.

While a new courthouse was being constructed, the statue was put in storage until 1969, then paced inside the front lobby of the new building.

--Old Secesh

Veterans Memorial Hall in Rockford: SUVCW

A successor organization to the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) is the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) which was established in 1881.  Also, the Ladies Auxiliary was founded.

Both organizations are to carry on the mission of the GAR.

A local camp (different groups in the SUVCW are called camps) of the SUVCW was organized in Rockford and met at the Memorial Hall from 1903 to 1957.

They reorganized in 2005 as the Logan Camp No. 26 and still meets in the same Post Room where the original camp met.

To continue the legacy of the GAR to honor the memory of Civil War vets, the SUVCW cleans and replaces grave markers of Civil War veterans, and members conduct ceremonies to commemorate the history of the war.

They meet the first Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m.

--Old Secesh

MCCWRT Discussion Group Meets Saturday May 25

The McHenry County Civil War Round Table (MCCWRT) meets this Saturday at Panera Bread in Crystal Lake, Illinois.  This week's discussion will revolve around April-May 1865 Escape from Richmond and the capture of Jefferson Davis.

Panera Bread is located at the intersection of Main Street and U.S. Route 14 (Northwest Highway) and the meeting runs from 10 a.m. to 11:30.

There is also Zoom available.

Come On By.  --Old Secesh

Veterans Memorial Hall & Museum in Rockford, Illinois-- Part 2: It Was a GAR Thing

Display cases throughout the building contain artifacts, photographs and other items from America's wars, including recent conflicts in the Middle East.  The museum contains 15,000 such pieces in its collection.

When memorial Hall opened in 1903, the first organization to meet in the Post Room was a local contingent of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), the first and eventually the largest veterans organization of the Civil War veterans in the country.

Founded in Decatur, Illinois, in 1866, its peak membership exceeded 409,000 Union veterans, including five U.S. presidents.  

This national organization established the pension system for veterans, funded homes and hospitals for soldiers, widows and orphans; and created Memorial Day to honor all deceased veterans.

--Old Secesh

Veterans Memorial Hall and Museum in Rockford

Also from The Cabin fever Quarterly Magazine, 2024.

The Rock River Valley Civil War Round Table is just one of several regional military-related organizations to find a home at Veterans Memorial Hall.  At least eight other veterans groups have offices or hold meetings there, and the magnificent edifice is often used as a venue for many municipal events.

Designed in a Classical Greek Revival style, the Hall is one of only three such buildings to survive in Illinois to honor veterans.  It's also the only building in Rockford, maybe even the state, that was dedicated by a sitting U.S.  President Theodore Roosevelt did that in 1903, soon after construction was completed.

The top floor contains an auditorium with a raised stage and a curved balcony.  A wide wooden staircase leads down to the Great Hall where names of Civil War battles adorn the tops of walls.  Two tablet rooms contain bronze plaques which list the names all veterans from Winnebago County who served in the Civil War and the Spanish-American War and were buried by 1903.

--Old Secesh

Bruce Allardice

Bruce Allardice joined the Chicago CWRT in 1987, has served as president of that group, and is currently president of the Northern Illinois CWRT.  They meet on the first Friday of the month in the Arlington Heights Memorial Library.  They also offer hybrid meetings with live and Zoom.

"The Civil War ended almost 160 years ago, and yet we are still talking about it," says Allardice.  "There's nothing comparable to CWRTs  with regard to World War I or II, even the Revolutionary War.  The issues are still with us."

One of his favorite battle site experiences was walking the path of Pickett's charge at Gettysburg, he remembers.

"It was a real revelation," he recalls.  "I don't know how the [Confederate] soldiers got as far as they did, advancing into those Union guns."

--Old Secesh

Bruce Allardice and the Northern Illinois CWRT

Bruce Allardice is a recently retired history professor from South Suburban College in South Holland, Illinois.  He is the author of five books on the Civil War and a frequent presenter at CWRTs (Civil War Round Table) throughout the northern Illinois area.

"I've tried to visit all Illinois round tables," says Allardice.  "I finally spoke at Rock River Valley (CWRT) in July 2022 and again in August 2023."

Allardice's great-grandfather served as a lieutenant in the 113th Illinois Infantry during the Civil War, and he frequently saw his presentation sword when visiting his grandparents as a child.

"He was overage and sickly the whole time," says Allardice, "and his regimental commander called him the worst officer in his command."

Nice Guy.  --Old Secesh

THE McHenry County Civil War Round Table-- Part 2

Attendance at meetings averages between ten and fifteen, while discussion groups are smaller.  We also have ZOOM in both venues. 

"COVID took a toll on us as well as other groups and we are still recovering," says Jim Stannis.  "But we are starting to grow our membership again."

Several members of the McHenry group have presented Civil War topics to adult education classes at McHenry County College and they've assisted the McHenry County Historical Society in restoring artifacts and writings.

Membership dues are $25 a year, and part of the money is used to support a $1,000 scholarship to the annual high school winner of a historical contest.

--Old Secesh

Now for the Best (In my Opinion) CWRT: McHenry County Civil War Round Table

These are all from the 2024 Northwest Quarterly Magazine "Civil War Round Tables" by Jon McGinty.

Then McHenry County Civil War Round Table (MCCWRT) was founded in 1997, and it holds monthly meetings on the second Tuesday of every month (that would be tonight) at the Woodstock Public Library in Woodstock, Illinois.  Meetings are also shared on Zoom with members and other regional round tables.

"We also conduct a monthly discussion group every  fourth Saturday at Panera Bread  restaurant in Crystal Lake, Illinois, also on Zoom," says Jim Stanis, secretary of the Round Table.  "They are informal  conversations about Civil War topics, whereas the meetings  usually include a presentation."

Tonight's presentation will be given by Ed Urban on the Ellet rams at Vicksburg.

The meeting starts at 7 at the library.  Before hat some of us will gather at 3 Brothers Restaurant in Woodstock on Illinois Highway 47 for dinner or snacks.  That starts around 5:30.

Come on By.  --Old Secesh

Robert Girardi: Author and Presenter

The author of nine books, Robert Girardi says he is primarily interested in the Western Theater, railroads, logistics and engineers.  He will discuss Civil War engineers with the RRVCWRT on August 5.

"I am currently working on a biography of Gen. G.K. Warren, the 'Savior of Little Round Top' [at the Battle of Gettysburg].  There is a monument to him there," Girardi says.  

"He was later sacked by Sheridan after the Battle of Five Forks, allegedly for moving too slow.  I don't think he's been given his due."

Had Warren not realized the importance of the Little Round Top, the outcome of the battle might have been different.

Girardi understands the convenience of having CWRT programs on Zoom, but he prefers to make his presentations in person.

"I enjoy the fellowship of people who share a love f history, he says.  "W can talk about divisive issues but still go home as friends."

--Old Secesh

The Chicago Civil War Round Table: About Those Battlefield Tours

This was the very first Civil War Round Table (CWRT).  I actually belonged to it for a few years back in the late 1970s.

Until 1977, the Chicago CWRT didn't allow women to become members.  They could, however, attend meetings.  That caused one woman, Marilyn Steele to form the Salt Creek CWRT, which currently meets in Glen Ellyn.

The Chicago CWRT offers an annual tour of Civil War battlefields which is well attended.  This year they have scheduled a four-day bus tour to Gettysburg on April 24-28.  (Sorry, you missed it, so did I.)  Last year's tour covered the Red River Campaign in Louisiana.

"The only way to fully understand a battle is to visit the site says Robert Girardi.  I have visited over 100 Civil War battlefields.  In November, I spend two days hiking over the fields at Shiloh, Tennessee."

--Old Secesh

The Civil War Round Table (Chicago)

Already mentioned in this series was them very first Civil War Round Table CWRT) which started in 1940 by Ralph Newman, owner of the Abraham Lincoln Bookstore in Chicago.  This remains the premier CWRT.

Robert Girardi is a historian, prolific author, speaker, former Chicago police detective and past president of the Chicago CWRT.  He has been a frequent presenter at CWRT meetings across the country.

"At my first meeting in 1982, I was the youngest person in the room," Girardi recalls.  "We used to meet at a downtown Chicago hotel, but now we meet at the Holiday Inn Oak Brook, near O'Hare Airport.  Our gatherings are the second Friday of the month, 5:30 p.m. for cocktails, then dinner.

"Programs start at 7:15 p.m..  One of our members videotapes the presentations, then posts them on You Tube."

--Old Secesh

CWRT-- Part 12: A View on Removal

Ron Lee's view is that, while it is "deeply problematic to have memorials which glorify leaders of a society based on slavery," their removal or relocation should be the result of public discussion and debate, rather than by groups of "angry citizens motivated by a sense of righteousness, taking it upon themselves to remove them by force."

"Civil War Round Tables (CWRT) can play a positive role in these debates by providing a forum where these discussions can take place in-person, face-to-face, not anonymously on social media.  An important part of being a citizen in a democracy-- government of, by and for the people-- is the willingness and ability to engage in civil dialogue about the issues that divide us, according to Lee.

--Old Secesh

CWRT-- Part 11: One Speaker on Confederate Monuments

Ron Lee, associate professor of political science at Rockford University spoke at the RRVCWRT in early November on the controversy surrounding the removal of Confederate monuments to the Civil War.

"The argument over these  monuments is part of a larger debate about how we want to remember our past," says Lee.  Both sides have staked out extreme opposing positions and seem unwilling to admit that their opponents have something to contribute to a fuller understanding of America's past."

He describes these positions as  represented by  the "1619 Project," which was produced by writers at the New York Times, and the 1776 Commission, an advisory committee appointed by then-president Trump in response to the "1619 Project."

According to Lee, the "1619 Project," sees American history mostly as a story of racism and oppression, whereas the 1776 Commission wants to promote "patriotic education" but dos so at the expense of "acknowledging significant political, social and economic injustices of the past in its insistence on the uniqueness of our founding in 1776 on principles of equality and liberty."

--Old Secesh

CWRT-- Part 10: Significance of the Civil War Today

While they are aware of the popular image of CWRTs as a bunch of guys  sitting around and rehashing old battles, they are keenly aware of the relevance of studying the events of a war that ended almost 160 years ago.

"Most of us have an interest in military history, but many of the issues still facing us today had their roots in the outcome of the Civil War, according to David Byrnes.  "The consolidation and growth of the central government, the 'culture wars' and diversity, equality and inclusion, interpretations of the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution -- these were all raised and not necessarily settled during that conflict.  

"It's more than just retelling battles."

--Old Secesh