Life in Machesney Park

The area that is presently known as Machesney Park was first settled when large areas of Northern Illinois were opened for settlement in the early 1830’s, after the end of the Black Hawk War. When the “township” form of government was first instituted, the majority of what is now known as Machesney Park was located within Harlem Township. The early Dutch settlers chose the name Harlem to remind them of the Netherlands. Early settlers were relatively few in number and farmed large tracts of land.

Residential development began to grow in the early 20th century and started to boom in the 1920’s. During this time, the Harlem Consolidated School District was formed to serve the educational needs of the growing community. One of the community’s symbols in the early days was the Machesney Airport, founded in 1927 by barnstormer/aviator Fred Machesney. The airport was located where the Machesney Park Town Center, formerly the Machesney Park Mall, stands today along the original Main St. which is now N. 2nd St. or IL-251. The airfield was Rockford’s main airport until the 1950s, when the Greater Rockford Airport opened its doors. In 1928, a famous flight from Rockford to Sweden took off from the airport/field. The attempt failed as the two pilots crashed in Greenland, however they were safely rescued after an exhausting search.

Shortly thereafter, Machesney Field was used by the Army Air Corps during World War II as a stop by fighter aircraft being ferried to the Soviet Union. Also, and just prior to World War II, the old InterUrban rail line north to Beloit was abandoned and became N. 2nd St.; it is now also known as Illinois Route 251.