A history of Freeport,
since 1827
Postcards, papers and photographs of Freeport from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗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 was published in German. By then, the community had a population of 2,000.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowFinish Freeport’s story
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
1 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewThe Lincoln–Douglas debates of 18…, 1858: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Freeport
See all 55 →
Freeport, decade by decade
1990s
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as The Lincoln–Douglas debates of 1858 - FREEPORT ILLINOIS—THE BREWSTER HOUSE, 1860 (1858) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Historic places
National Register · via Wikidata
From Wikimedia Commons (7), the Library of Congress (2) and the National Register (3). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.