Graham-Ginestra House

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Graham-Ginestra House The Graham-Ginestra House is a Victorian house museum showcasing beautiful architecture and local history. Freeman Graham built the house in 1857.

The museum focuses on the two families who lived there - the Grahams and the Ginestras. The Graham-Ginestra House has been owned by two families - which perhaps explains the extraordinary degree of authenticity and preservation of the house and its contents. As you step into this treasure-trove, you will step back into a different world - one of hand-crafted elegance. He owned the Graham Cotton & Paper Mills, Match Factory, and the first sour-mash distillery in Illinois. In 1926 his daughter sold the house to Mary and Leonard Ginestra who loved the tree-lined, quiet streets of Rockford. At the time, the South Main area and the Water Power District was the economic and cultural center of the Italian-American community. In 1978 the Ginestra's daughter, Therese Ginestra-Schmeltzer, established the Graham-Ginestra House, Inc., a non-profit created to maintain the house. On June 11, 1979 the house was listed in the National Register of Historic Places and was the first commissioned landmark of the Rockford Historic Preservation Commission.

09/30/2026

Join us TODAY for our Heritage Wh***ey Wednesday fundraiser! It's a beautiful night to sit indoors at Barnstormer Distillery, listening to Trinadora, and enjoying food from Texas Roadhouse while supporting your local history. ❤️

We are first up on Haunted Rockford's October line up! 👻 Join us on October 3rd for Eerie Tales and Spooky Vibes 🖤
09/25/2026

We are first up on Haunted Rockford's October line up! 👻 Join us on October 3rd for Eerie Tales and Spooky Vibes 🖤

Thank you to the AMAZING RU students who joined us last week for garden clean up! They were awesome, and their service i...
09/24/2026

Thank you to the AMAZING RU students who joined us last week for garden clean up! They were awesome, and their service is greatly appreciated ❤️

04/30/2026

Join us this summer for an amazing walk through history! 🥰

Address

1115 South Main Street
Rockford, IL
61101

Opening Hours

2pm - 4pm

Telephone

(815) 968-6044

Website

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