Rockford Chair and Furniture Company Records, 1882-1977 | Northern Illinois University

Rockford Chair and Furniture, an Illinois corporation organized in 1882, engaged in the manufacture of furniture until 1950.  From that time until its properties were sold to Rockford Standard Furniture in 1972, Rockford Chair and Furniture was engaged entirely in the rental business.  Its rental properties consisted of six buildings, the largest of which was completely destroyed by fire in 1960.  The original organizers of Rockford Chair and Furniture Company were P.A. Peterson, Alexander Johnson, and Aug Peterson.  When the founders of Rockford Furniture died, ownership remained in the families for the most part: little stock was sold to outsiders.  Rockford Chair was one of the largest and oldest of the city’s furniture manufacturers–a major industry in Rockford from the Civil War to mid-twentieth century.  It was also one of the last to cease operations in 1973.

Furniture industry and trade
Rockford (Ill.)
Rockford Chair and Furniture Company