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- Town
23,930
58%
$39,787
18.9%
America/Chicago
61032
Welcome:
The WikiXM 'Freeport' platform is your gateway to becoming an active part of our vibrant community, regardless of your age or how long you've called 'Freeport' home. It's more than just a news platform; it's a thriving hub where the collective wisdom of every 'Freeport' resident converges to ignite discussions, foster learning, and empower one another with knowledge about our beloved town.
Here in 'Freeport', we have a diverse tapestry of residents. Some have roots that run deep, their knowledge steeped in the rich history of our town. Others are students, dedicated to keeping us updated on school activities, while many are committed to sharing the ebb and flow of daily life.
What's more, from a civic and political perspective, there are countless opportunities for you to join in. Many in our community offer updates on policies and decisions, offering their unique insights. This platform is where all these local perspectives meld together, creating a better place for everyone to live, regardless of your age or how long you've been a part of 'Freeport'.
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Freeport, IL - History
We would like to provide the residents of Freeport a basic history overview.
Welcome to the Freeport Home page. The Freeport Home page provides as much information as possible on Freeport. Knowing Freeport’s history is essential to guiding its future. Within Freeport’s Home page, you will also find Freeport’s Founders, Holiday, and Birthday sections.
Freeport has a population of 23930. 46.1% of Freeport’s inhabitants are Male, and 53.9 are female. 42.7% of Freeport is married and 58.1% own their own home. The Average Home price is $67,743, and the average rent is $669. Household median income in Freeport is $39,787, and the individual median income is $25,243. Freeport’s Ethnic is the following: White(73.4%), Black(17%), Multiple(7.7%), Hispanic(6.2%), Asian(1.2%), Other(0.5%), Native(0.2%).
The community was originally called Winneshiek. When it was incorporated, the new municipality took its name from the generosity of Tutty Baker, who was credited with running a "free port" on the Pecatonica River. The name "Winneshiek" was later adopted, and is preserved to this day, by the Freeport Community Theatre Group. In 1837, Stephenson County was formed and Freeport became its seat of government in 1838.
Linked by a stagecoach with Chicago, the community grew rapidly. In 1840, a frame courthouse was erected and the first school was founded. Within two years, Freeport had two newspapers and in 1853, the two were joined by a third which published in German. By then, the community had a population of 2,000. On August 27, 1858, the second debate between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A.
Douglas took place in Freeport and gave the nation direction in the following years. Although Stephen Douglas won the election and retained his U.S. Senate seat, his reply to a question on slavery alienated the South, which called it the "Freeport Heresy", and split the Democratic Party. This enabled Abraham Lincoln to win the Presidency in 1860. A monument to the debate was dedicated in 1903 by President Theodore Roosevelt and stands at this site.
A life size statue recreating the event was dedicated in 1992. Another renowned statue, Lincoln the Debator by Leonard Crunelle, is a focal point in the city's Taylor Park. In many years there is also a reenactment of the debate, which has been shown on C-SPAN. Freeport is known as the "Pretzel City", and its public high school's team is named the Pretzels.
The nickname is a reminder of Freeport's ethnic heritage; in the late 1850s, many Germans, both from Pennsylvania and from their European homeland, resettled in Stephenson County bringing with them their love of pretzel snacks. In 1869, a German immigrant named John Billerbeck established the Billerbeck Bakery, which distributed so many pretzels to residents that the local newspaper later dubbed Freeport the "Pretzel City".
The city later capitalized on this nickname in 2003 by starting Freeport's first Pretzel Festival.Before February 1893, a large square of land was purchased from the former Keller-Wittbecker farm in East Freeport. Some of this land had been subdivided and platted as the "Arcade Addition", as Arcade Manufacturing used some of that square of land in 1893 to rebuild its factory after a fire in its original location had destroyed everything.
The Arcade Manufacturing Company had been in operation since 1885 when the previous Novelty Iron Works had gone out of business at the corner of Chicago and Jackson streets. That earlier company began as early as 1868. After the 1892 fire, the Arcade Manufacturing Company built an entirely new factory in the Arcade Addition of East Freeport, where they produced coffee mills and other metal products. Freeport is home to the oldest Carnegie Library in Illinois and one of the first Carnegie Libraries designed by the Chicago architectural firm of Patton and Miller.
It was renovated into Freeport's City Hall and City offices were moved to Carnegie City Hall in February 2017.The City of Freeport transitioned to the City Manager Form of Government in May 2017.
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FREEPORT Representatives
Mayor : Jodi Miller
Stephenson County REPRESENTATIVES
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