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Greenwood Cemetery is located at the corner of Auburn & Main Street in Rockford, Illinois. Established in 1845, Greenwood Cemetery is still an active cemetery containing many older monuments and newer ones interspersed. The oldest and largest cemetery in Rockford, Greenwood Cemetery is home to many of Rockford’s earliest influential leaders. There are over 25,000 burials in Greenwood and room for an additional 25,000 more with over 100 acres of land.
Founded in 1845, Greenwood Cemetery (previously known as West Rockford Cemetery until 1921) was the fourth cemetery in Rockford and is the oldest remaining. It began in 1844 as a site along Kent Creek, located on the land now occupied by Tinker Swiss Cottage Museum's Railroad Garden and the railroad yards.
Due to the expanding needs of the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad in Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois, Greenwood Cemetery began as a way to centralize the existing burial grounds and freeing up space for the railroad's expansion. Bodies were relocated from the three previous sites, centralizing burials in one single location. Over time, the cemetery grew to its current size of over 100 acres.
The Chapel was designed by Henry Lord Gay in 1887, in the Richardsonian Romanesque style. August 28, 2012, the chapel and crematory was recognized by the National Park Service with a listing on the National Register of Historic Places.
Greenwood Cemetery is a 100-acre cemetery in Rockford, Illinois. Founded in 1852, it is the largest and oldest in the city. The Greenwood Cemetery Chapel and Crematory was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
In 1838, the first burial occurred in Rockford, Illinois, shortly after the settlement was founded. A man drowned in the Rock River and his body was buried on a plot which is now near the intersection of Cedar and Winnebago Streets. The daughter of Germanicus Kent was buried nearby, making it the first city burial ground. In the early 1840s, a new area was briefly used for burials on the south side of State Street. In 1844, the property was exchanged for two lots on the north bank of Kent's Creek. It was chartered the next year as the Rockford Cemetery Association. After another cemetery was chartered in 1853, the Rockford Cemetery Association's land became known as the West Side Cemetery.
In 1852, the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad connected to Rockford and needed to use the lands of the West Side Cemetery. The cemetery moved to the northeast corner of Main and Auburn Streets. It was officially incorporated on June 23, 1852. The land was selected because it was 1.5 miles north of the business district and thus safe from another forced relocation. An additional 17 acres were purchased from D. C. Littlefield in 1879.
In 1887, the cemetery decided to build a chapel to provide shelter for services during inclement weather. The chapel was designed by Henry Lord Gay in the Richardsonian Romanesque style. Its tower was meant to resemble a Roman War Tower. A 7 feet onyx was installed, engraved with the named of those who died in combat. The chapel may have served as a war memorial until Memorial Hall was constructed downtown in 1903. 
By the 1920s, cremation had gained popularity as an alternative to burial. Frank B. Gibson was commissioned to design a crematory addition for the chapel. The first cremation occurred on October 20, 1921. After the crematory opened, the cemetery board of trustees decided to change the name to Greenwood Cemetery. On August 28, 2012, the chapel and crematory was recognized by the National Park Service with a listing on the National Register of Historic Places.