Churchill's Grove street names: A walk through history

By Sara Leib

Churchill's Grove Newsletter | April 2026               

For those who travel the streets of Churchill’s Grove, street signs provide subtle reminders of our history. The neighborhood, originally known as the Riverside Addition, was primarily developed in the late 19th and early 20th century, with many street names retaining a military-focused, historic theme. The streets were named primarily to honor Civil War generals and figures, reflecting the area’s history as the site of the Camp Fuller training ground.

Some streets bear names that might be a little less recognizable. They honor the earliest property owners – those who walked the land adjacent to the Rock River and appreciated its beauty before our homes were built. The neighborhood itself was named after an early settler and prominent landowner, Phineas Penfield Churchill.

An old map, dated 1892, indicates different names for some of the streets: Post Avenue was labeled Union Street, part of Franklin Place was Washington, and Sherman Street and Sheridan Street were reversed. There is no evidence found in written history that these names were later changed. It is believed that the names we see today are the names that were actually given when the streets were named.

Auburn Street – Auburn Street was part of a planned expansion in the city’s development. While early Rockford streets were often named after city founders, Auburn was likely a now-common placeholder name chosen for its geographic convenience in mapping the city’s growth. The name was chosen to fit the pattern of street naming used for this part of the city, likely referencing the common name “Auburn” (meaning a reddish-brown color or, historically, a “white” area) for residential streets.

Boilvin Avenue – Boilvin Avenue was named after Nicholas Boilvin (1761-1827), an American frontiersman, fur trader and government agent for the Winnebago Indians. An early land speculator, he purchased a section of land west of the Rock River on August 25, 1835, for $800. He platted a village called Winnebago, his entry for the then-to-be chosen county seat. The property was divided into 2,436 lots on 251 blocks. Several buildings were erected, but no town developed.

Camp Avenue – Camp Avenue was named after Camp Fuller, the Civil War infantry training camp organized by Adjutant General Allen Curtiss Fuller in response to a call from President Abraham Lincoln. Camp Fuller, bordered by what is now Auburn Street on the north, the Rock River on the east, Post Avenue on the west and Guard Street on the south, operated from July 1862 to early 1863, housing four Union regiments in a tent city.

Churchill Street – Churchill Street was named after Phineas Penfield Churchill (1804-1889), who was one of 27 residents of Rockford in 1835. A farmer, Churchill acquired much of Catherine Myott’s “half-breed float” and planted it with corn. In 1862, his land, then known as “Churchill’s Woods," was selected as the site for Camp Fuller, and his cornfields were leased to the U.S. Army.

Cumberland Street – Cumberland Street is an extension of the main street of the same name in the adjacent Edgewater neighborhood. It gained its name, most likely as a placeholder name, as part of that residential development. The portion of Cumberland Street that is in Churchill’s Grove is only one block long, and there is only one home that bears its name in a mailing address.

Douglas Street – Douglas Street was named after Stephen Arnold Douglas (1813-1861), an Illinois lawyer and former U.S. Senator who debated slavery with Abraham Lincoln in 1858 and ran against him for president in 1860.

Ellsworth Street – Ellsworth Street was named after Colonel Elmer Ephraim Ellsworth (1837-1861), who came to Rockford in 1857 to be drillmaster of the Rockford City Greys. Ellsworth was the first Union officer killed in the American Civil War, and its first hero. He was shot by the Marshall House hotel owner in Alexandria, Virginia, while removing a Confederate flag. Ellsworth was President Lincoln's close personal friend and protégé. At the time of his death, he was engaged to Carrie Spafford, a young Rockford socialite.

Franklin Place – As a prominent street in the early residential development on the west side of the Rock River, Franklin Place was likely named after Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790). It was a common practice for 1800s-era developments in Illinois to honor the Founding Father.

Glen Road – Based on the historical records of Rockford’s street names, there is no evidence indicating that Glen Road was named after a specific person or historical figure. Glen likely refers to a geographic feature – a glen (a small, narrow, secluded valley), or it was chosen for the tranquility and scenery during the development of the residential area. In the early 20th century, developers frequently named streets to evoke natural beauty.

Guard Street – Guard Street was named in association with Camp Fuller, a training camp used during the Civil War. The street served as the southern boundary for the military installation, and the name Guard was adopted to honor or reflect the camp’s presence.

Hancock Street – Hancock Street was most likely named after John Hancock (1737-1793). As President of the Continental Congress (1775-1777), Hancock presided over the Continental Congress when the Declaration of Independence was adopted, and was the first to sign the historic document. His bold signature became a symbol of American patriotism and independence. While documented history regarding the exact person for whom Hancock Street in Rockford was named is sparse, it adheres to the trend of honoring historical figures during the development of the city’s street layout.

Harlem Boulevard – Harlem Boulevard was named after Harlem, New York, a place familiar to many of Rockford's early settlers. The connection is primarily one of naming legacy, where early 19th-century settlers moving westward from New York and New England used familiar place names from the East Coast for their new, expanding communities in Illinois.

Lawn Place – The Lawn Place name fits within the naming conventions of the late 19th and early 20th centuries to highlight a place that was designed with ample green, open space, or lawns, between the Rock River and what was originally Beloit Road (now North Second Street). The street features homes with generous frontages, consistent with the lawn moniker.

Logan Street – Logan Street was named after John Alexander Logan (1826-1886), a Union general during the American Civil War. Logan was instrumental in the founding of the Grand Army of the Republic, a veterans group comprised of former Union Army soldiers, and served as the group’s national commander. He was also a lawyer and author. John Logan represented Illinois in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate, and was a candidate for vice president.

Myott Avenue – Myott Avenue is named for Catherine Myott, the daughter of a French soldier and a Winnebago Indian. An 1829 treaty granted land to mixed-race people who did not wish to be relocated when the government decreed that the Winnebago Indians should be moved west. These unlocated (floating) land grants became known as "half-breed floats." Catherine received 637 acres that stretched from what is now Huffman Boulevard on the west, across the Rock River to what is now Parkview Avenue on the east.

National Avenue – From 1862 to early 1863, the area near the river was farmland that served as a training camp where National Guard members mustered to serve in the Civil War. The street is associated with the general headquarters of Camp Fuller, which were at the corner of National Avenue and Guard Street.

North Main Street – North Main Street was given its name simply because it was one of the primary, central thoroughfares platted during the early development of the city in the 1830s. It served as a, if not the, main street for the growing settlement on the west bank of the Rock River. It is a key north-south artery through Rockford and serves as a core business and neighborhood connector. The North and South names are determined by their relation to State Street (Business US 20), the primary dividing line in Rockford for north and south addresses.

Post Avenue – Post Avenue was named after John Russell Post, a prominent and respected member of the Rockford community during the 1860s. Post was the Guilford township supervisor, a Mason, an active political participant and a graduate of Rockford High School, class of 1863.

Sheridan Street – Sheridan Street was named after Philip Henry Sheridan (1831-1888), a career U.S. Army officer and a prominent Union general during the American Civil War. He was promoted to the rank of General of the Army during the term of President Grover Cleveland.

Sherman Street – Sherman Street was named after William Tecumseh Sherman (1820-1891), an American soldier, businessman, educator and author. He served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War, earning recognition for his command of military strategy.

Toner Avenue – Toner Avenue is part of a collection of streets named for early settlers, developers or prominent families in the area, often designated when the land was subdivided. The section of land in the northwest corner of Churchill’s Grove (nearest to the Veterans’ Memorial Circle roundabout) was named “Christopher Toner’s Subdivision.”

The next time you pass through Churchill’s Grove, take note of the names on the street signs and reflect on their meanings. There is a history lesson at every corner!

Sources: Rockford Historical Society, Rockford Reminisce