Rockford, Ohio is the oldest town in Mercer County . In the early 1800's, Anthony Shane, a half breed French Ottawa Indian, was a scout for the army of General Anthony Wayne. As a reward for his services, Shane was given a land grant by the U.S. Government. Shanes Grant took in the area now known as the village of Rockford as well as additional land north of the St. Marys River. The St. Marys was a very important trail between Piqua and Fort Wayne, Indiana. Originally it was known by the names Second Crossing of the St. Marys, and Half Way Cross. . On June 23, 1820, Anthony Shane, who operated a trading post near the river, filed his plot to the town known as Shanesville. Shane lived in Shanesville until 1832 when he acted as a government agent, accompanying the Shawnee Indians to Kansas. On June 5, 1866, the village was incorporated and the name was changed to Shanes Crossing . Then, in 1890 the post office department decided it should have a new name. A vote was taken and the majority favored the name of Lacine, but the post office department decided that the villages name should be called Rockford, and so it was.

Rockford was the original county seat and a bustling town in its early days. It was the first town in the county to have street lights and had its own power plant, built in 1899. Underground pipes were laid to connect the power plant to village stores and churches, which was their source of heat from the steam that escaped from the dynamos . Many early businesses included a hotel, opera house, stave factory, sawmill, handle factory, airport, etc.

A few years ago the Shanes Crossing Historical Society was made aware of an old log house sitting in a field on land that was once part of Anthony Shanes grant. After checking old records and conferring with Ohio Historical Society officials, it was thought that the log house could have been the home of Anthony Shane since it was from the 1820-1830's period. The historical society took on the project of relocating the house to Shanes Park in Rockford and restoring it. The work was done by historical society members and local volunteer labor.

For several years, many felt Rockford was a dying town. The railroad was shut down and many storefronts were vacant or made into apartments. Streets, curbs and sidewalks were crumbling. But local townspeople decided it was time to make Rockford a proud village once again. A major Main Street reconstruction project was undertaken in 1999. The once crumbling Main Street is now proudly sporting new curbs, sidewalks, decorative lampposts, trees, and brick trim in the sidewalks. There is a new sewer system in place and a new water tower was installed in 2000. Water lines and streets are being replaced as funds become available. The village is working with businesses and industry to keep the industries we have and to try and attract new ones to the village. Several other projects are in the planning stage.

Parkway Local Schools will be be building their new K-12 building starting in 2004.

Rockford has 5 churches: Rockford Presbyterian, First United Methodist, Grace United Methodist, St. Teresa’s Catholic and New Horizons Community Church. Major industries include Fremont Co., home of the namesake "Rockford Catsup" and Tu-Way Products Company, which was honored recently as a major exporter. Shanes Park in the northwest area of the village is currently undergoing many changes and upgrades. New ball diamonds have been installed as well as a tennis court and walking paths. Additional paths and a Community building are in the future plans for the park.