An evening tour through the historic village of Macktown

Macktown Living History Center, 2221 Freeport Road in Rockton, Illinois hosted Macktown After Dark, a fundraising event on September 6, 2025. As guests arrived, cocktails and soft drinks were served before the after-dark tour began.

First stop on the tour was at the Education Center, where historic and prehistoric artifacts are displayed. From there, volunteer Linda Sonneson led guests up the lane (State Road) to the Whitman Trading Post. The house and store were built around 1846. A Macktown volunteer, Peter Szyzewski, portrayed Mr. Whitman, the storekeeper and owner of the building that includes a trading post and home.

Guests toured the home of Macktown founder Stephen Mack and his family. Mack was married to Hononegah, a Native American. Together, they raised nine children. Across the road from the house is a small fenced cemetery where Stephen Mack, Hononegah, and their son, Henry, were buried. However, it is not their final resting place. They were buried near the present-day Macktown golf clubhouse.

Next was a visit to the heritage garden next to the Mack house. The garden features vegetables, herbs, and flowers from heritage seeds that were common in the mid-1980s. Next door is the Sylvester Steven's residence and woodworking shop.

Near the garden, visitors entered Sylvester Steven's residence and woodworking shop. The building housed a granary and a one-room schoolhouse. The schoolroom was the first in the area and was open to native American students as well as settlers.

Partway through the tour, guests stopped by the marquee tent for Sip, Snack, and Shop the Auction, where they enjoyed refreshments and browsed the silent auction items.

Funds from the event support educational programming, including home-school workshops, field trips, and seasonal demonstrations. Contributions play a role in preserving historic buildings, major restoration projects, and conserving rare artifacts.

For information about tours, upcoming events, and programs at Macktown, check their webpage at macktownlivinghistory.org, call 815-624-4200, or email macktownlivinghistory@gmail.com.

815-815-624-4200

Before pioneer settlements came into the area, Naive American villages were prevalent. Ho-Chunk and Potawatomi tribes lived in wigwams in the villages.

Macktown Living History Center offers visitors a trip back in time. Visitors can heck out the artifacts and architecture of a time gone by.