Rockton's Macktown Historic Site
Macktown Historic Site is located in Macktown Forest Preserve. This was the land of Stephen Mack, Jr., Winnebago County’s first settler. Mack was an important figure in the history of Rockton. He founded a community called Pekatonic, which at the time consisted of a schoolhouse, tavern, blacksmith, a bridge to Rockton and six families. Stephen Mack and his Native American wife, Hononegah, built the Mack Home and raised a family. The Whitman Trading Post and the Stephen Mack Home are original buildings that have been restored and are open to the public for special events.
The Macktown Living History Education Center, a non-profit organization, has a visitors center at the Macktown Historic Site that offers programming to children of all ages and serves as a home to the many pre-historic and historic items discovered on the property. This building is the first step toward the goal of rebuilding the entire 1830–1850 settlement.
The Gathering at Macktown is an annual living history event that takes place each spring. Hundreds of re-enactors establish a village at Macktown and demonstrate frontier life and Native American culture from the 1650s through the 1850s. Join thousands of visitors and try your hand at old-time crafts, sample
historic foods and enjoy music from the era. For the most current information on Macktown Living History contact the Rockton Chamber of Commerce at 815.624.7625 or visit macktownlivinghistory.com.
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