1 Jacoby Place (North)

by Randy Zimmerman

As noted in the beginning of the description of 1 Jacoby Place South, the property that is now 1 Jacoby Place (Keith School) was originally 2 properties owned by two separate families, both of whom had North Second Street addresses because Jacoby Place did not yet exist. The southern portion (plus land as far south as Sinnissippi Park) was originally the site of a brewery, which was later purchased by Fred (Louise) Shoudy and converted into a forty- room mansion home and the northern portion of the current Keith School plot was first owned by Henry “Hank” Williams.

In 1899 Henry “Hank” Williams married Alta Barnum, however, tragedy struck early and often during their short marriage. The young couple lost their first child, Dorothy, an eight-day old infant, in 1899. Their second child, Harris, was still born in 1901, and complications stemming from that pregnancy claimed the life of Mrs. Williams two weeks later. “Life’s cup of happiness seemed full and overrunning and all the future looked bright,” then, within two years, Mr. Williams was thrust from being a happy newlywed anticipating raising a family with his young wife, to being a bereaved, childless widower.

In approximately 1903, Hank Williams purchased a large, narrow piece of property from his neighbor to the north, Lysander Jacoby, that ran from N. Second St. to Parkview Avenue, just north of what is now Sinnissippi Golf Course. Over time, all of Williams’ land east of Jacoby Place, and all the way to Parkview Avenue was sold off and sub-divided into individual home sites.

Mr. Williams accrued his wealth from the insurance business. He started in the field as a messenger for the Rockford Fire Insurance company, and in 1896 was instrumental in starting the firm that today operates under the name of Williams-Manny Insurance.

The first building to go up on the property (in 1903) was a large barn with living quarters built in. Over the next four years, what was to be the main house, a 40 x 80 ft. three-story mansion, was being constructed. The house was elegant, and was designed for entertaining many of Rockford’s socialites. The flooring and trim throughout the house were a mix of quarter-sawn oak and solid mahogany. There was an enormous entry hall, “pleasant porches”, and several large bay windows. There were three very large stone and brick fireplaces that could handle logs as large as four feet in length. Bookcases had leaded glass doors. And the house had systems of call bells, built-in vacuums and internal fire hoses for safety. It was described by one of the neighbors as, “one of the nicest homes in town at the time.”

In October of 1905 Mr. Williams married his second wife, Frances Brown, and the couple finally moved in to their new home in July 1907 along with a staff of several maids and a caretaker. It was said that the home “epitomized gracious and genuine hospitality”, not only because of the many amenities the house offered, but even more so because Mr. Williams was considered “one of the most lovable people in Rockford.”

This home was the site of an unfortunate event in the summer of 1916. The Williams’ caretaker, Emil Seder, went missing for four days while the Williams’ were away. His body was found in the home’s basement on July 6th of that year. In the absence of any signs of foul play, the coroner concluded that he had died of natural causes (overheating after he had “partaken of a hearty dinner on Saturday afternoon and . . . by peddling back to the Williams premises at a swift clip on his wheel.”).

Hank Williams lived out his life in the mansion until his death in 1944. His wife, Frances, outlived him by 17 years and died in 1962.

Robert (Helen) Stormont purchased the vacant Williams home in 1955, and immediately began a huge and much needed remodeling project. Apparently, the cost of the renovation was too much, and the Stormonts gave up and abandoned the home in 1966. Ownership then reverted to the Illinois National Bank where it had been held in trust. The home then stood empty for the rest of its short remaining life until an arsonist burned it down in July of 1970. Sadly, by then the house had been gutted and stripped of anything valuable, every window had been broken out, and it carried no signs of its former beauty and grace.

That period of abandonment, however, was not without its own colorful story. During that mid-to-late 60s timeframe, the deteriorating, empty house became a focus of police raids and a haunt for young “lovers”, party goers, drug users, hippies and vagrants, all much to the chagrin of neighbors in the area.

After the house burned, the property was purchased by Keith School and is now site of the “upper” school and north parking lots.