[4] The word Pecatonica is an anglicization of two Algonquian language words; Bekaa (or Pekaa in certain dialects), which means slow and niba, which means water; forming the conjunction Bekaaniba or Slow Water.

Civil War records from the state of Illinois[5] include soldiers from "Lysander", the area's common name before incorporation by rail speculators.

The Village of Pecatonica was incorporated in 1869, built on territory rightfully owned by Indians and previously deeded to the Reed family by US President James K. Polk.

Knowlton opened his first bank here in 1882 and built a Queen Anne Victorian house on Main Street,[6] on the hill overlooking the business district.

[7] A small depot building[7] remains standing near the 300 block of Main Street.

A limestone house on Comly Road dates to this period, and there are permanent wagon wheel scars near a utility building for the 12 Mile Grove Cemetery, which is just hundreds of feet from the current corridor used by U.S. Route 20, a major east–west route through Northern Illinois.

Further west, Route 20 parallels more roads which sometime bear the phrase "Stagecoach Trail".

The high school complex also includes a baseball diamond and play field space for physical education classes.

The building was built as a flexible multi-purpose facility that will allow for both school-based and community-based activities.

The park connects with the recently acquired Pecatonica Wetlands Forest Preserve, both to the west and across the river to the north.

The fairgrounds have over 108 acres of indoor and outdoor activities including music festivals, motor sports, auto and trade shows, conventions, antique markets, social events, and the Winnebago County Fair.