We are indeed fortunate to be called home to the historical and restored: Tinker Swiss Cottage, Barn, Museum and Gardens.

WHO ARE THE TINKER'S?

Robert H. Tinker (1836-1924) In 1856 Robert Tinker came to Rockford to work for the Manny Reaper Company. Rockford quickly became his home and over the years he made his mark on the community. He served as Mayor in 1875, worked to bring the railroad to town, served on the board of directors of many companies, and was among the founders of the Rockford Park District.

Mary Manny Tinker (1829-1901) Mary Dorr Manny Tinker married inventor John Manny in 1852. Manny had developed a reaper mower for harvesting grain. After Manny died in 1856, Mary hired Robert Tinker as a sales agent of the company and the two became friends. They were married in 1870.

Jessie Dorr Hurd Tinker (1859-1942) and Marcia Dorr (1856-1904) Jessie Dorr Tinker and her sister Marcia were nieces of Mary Dorr Manny Tinker. In the 1870s, Jessie and Marcia moved into Tinker Swiss Cottage to live with their aunt.

In 1904, after several family deaths left them alone in the Cottage, Robert Tinker and Jessie Dorr were married. In the 1920s, Jessie sold the Cottage and its land to the Rockford Park District. Upon her death in 1942, Tinker Swiss Cottage was opened as a Museum.

Ted Tinker (1908-1984) In 1908 Jessie Tinker adopted a baby from a children's home in Normal, Illinois. She and Robert named him Theodore. Ted was the only child to grow up in the Cottage. He attended Military School in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. As an adult, Ted lived in the Milwaukee area and worked for the railroad and for a trucking company

Robert Hall Tinker, a businessman settled in Rockford, IL and built was was to become: THE SWISS TINKER COTTAGE.  In 1862, inspired from his travels to Switzerland, he built his cottage.Tinker surrounded his Swiss Cottage with trees, vines, winding pathways and flower beds. A three-story Barn housed cows, chickens and in later years the family car. On the backside of the Cottage, a suspension bridge crossed Kent Creek and linked the Cottage with Mrs. Tinker's property on the far bank. In 1906, after the railroad bought her estate, Robert Tinker planted elaborate gardens at the end of the bridge

Tinker Suspension Bridge

In 1870, in an attempt to link his Cottage to his bride Mary's estate on the far bank, Robert Tinker constructed a suspension bridge across Kent Creek. The bridge was built on a slant, sloping down from the bluff to the north creek bank. Unfortunately, this put the bridge directly in the path of flooding and in 1890 it was washed out.

The following year Tinker rebuilt the suspension bridge, this time raising the far piers so that the bridge was level and out of the path of floods. In 1906 Tinker planted gardens on the far bank. The bridge stood as a Rockford landmark until 1976 when it was razed due to its deteriorating condition. From October 2004 until June 2005, Tinker Swiss Cottage Museum worked to rebuild the bridge. Engineers Willett, Hofmann & Associates and Civil Constructors designed and built the new bridge.

Visitors can now experience Robert Tinker's swinging bridge as part of their visit to the historic Cottage. Over the next three years the Museum plans to restore Mr. Tinker's gardens at the far end of the bridge as well.

Tinker Barn and Visitor Center

In 1873 Robert Tinker built a three-story Swiss-style Barn to house chickens, dairy cows and the family's carriage. In 1958 the building burned to the ground. Forty years later, in need of space for educational programs, exhibits, and storage space, the Museum undertook the reconstruction of the Tinker Barn. The Museum used historic photographs, diary entries, archaeological data, and recycled lumber to reconstruct the building. Today the Tinker Barn and Visitor Center houses the Museum's reception area and gift shop, a multipurpose room with space for special exhibits, programs, activities, and meetings.

 The Cottage Today
Inside the Cottage today looks much as it did in the late 1800s.

If you have the opportunity to visit Northern Illinois, specifically Rockford, IL (a 90 min ride from Chicago) I encourage you to discover many of the architectural beauties including The Swiss Tinker Cottage.  There are tours daily and seasonal and is one of many historical treasure troves that have been preserved and restored for our insatiable curiosities of DAYS GONE BY!