Built by C.C. Briggs of Dover, Vermont, Briggs Mansion is one of Rockford's grandest and oldest homes. Mr. Briggs was a newspaper man and was prominent in New England's anti-slavery movement. He partcipated in the underground railway and even purchased a slave himself, simply to grant the man his freedom. Upon moving to Rockford he established the bank of Briggs, Spafford and Penfield which would become Third National Bank. The Brigg's family resided at 1244 E. State St until the late 1880's.

The house remained vacant until 1892 when James Linnus Sherman (a carpenter who took part in the original construction of the home) was invited to live there. The Sherman family resided at the mansion until 1917, at which point the house was passed on to various family members and descendants of the Sherman family.

See Briggs used in a commercial for the Rock River Chapter of the American Red Cross