Freeport, Illinois

Freeport
Winneshiek
City
The Civil War era Soldiers' Monument and the Stephenson County Courthouse in Freeport.
Nickname: Pretzel City, USA
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Stephenson
Township	Freeport
Elevation	778 ft (237 m)
Coordinates	42°17′31″N 89°37′49″W
Area	11.4 sq mi (30 km2)
- land	10.3 sq mi (27 km2)
- water	0.7 sq mi (2 km2)
Population	26,443 (2000)
Density	2,316.9 / sq mi (895 / km2)
Founded	1827
Date	1838
Mayor	George Gaulrapp
Postal code	61032
Area code	815/779
Location of Freeport within Illinois
Wikimedia Commons: Freeport, Illinois
Website: http://www.ci.freeport.il.us/

Freeport is a city in and the county seat of Stephenson County, Illinois. The population was 26,443 at the 2000 census. The mayor of Freeport is George W. Gaulrapp, elected in 2005.

History

Lincoln-Douglas debates monument, near downtown Freeport.

The Freeport Public Library on the cusp of downtown Freeport.

Originally called Winneshiek, the municipality when it was incorporated 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 in 1838, Freeport became its seat of government. 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. Each year 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. They brought with them their love of pretzel snacks, and a pretzel bakery started up.

Freeport is home to the oldest Carnegie Library in Illinois and one of the first Carnegie Libraries designed by the famous Chicago architectural firm of Patton and Miller.

Local Freeport media includes WFRL Radio (1570 AM), WFPS Radio (92.1 FM) and The Journal Standard newspaper.

Geography

Buildings in downtown Freeport, Illinois.

Freeport is located at 42°17′31″N 89°37′49″W (42.292003, -89.630377). It is located approximately 20 miles (32 km) south of the Wisconsin border, and at the center of a large agricultural area, located about 25 miles (40 km) west of Rockford. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.4 square miles (29.6 km²), of which 11.4 square miles (29.6 km²) is land and 0.09% is water.

U.S. Route 20 is a four-lane divided highway that skirts the community's northern edge. At Rockford, it links with Interstates 90 and 39, giving Freeport residents access to the entire Interstate system. I-90 is the major route between Chicago and Minneapolis-St. Paul. I-39 extends from Rockford to Bloomington, where it links with I-74 and I-55. From Freeport, U.S. 20 continues west to Galena, and the metropolitan area of Dubuque, Iowa.

The area code for Freeport is 815 with an overlay area code of 779 as of March 17, 2007.

Climate

Climate data for Freeport, Illinois
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °F (°C)	25 (−4)	30 (−1)	43 (6)	57 (14)	70 (21)	79 (26)	82 (28)	81 (27)	73 (23)	61 (16)	45 (7)	30 (−1)	56.3 (13.5)
Average low °F (°C)	9 (−13)	14 (−10)	25 (−4)	36 (2)	46 (8)	57 (14)	63 (17)	59 (15)	50 (10)	39 (4)	28 (−2)	16 (−9)	36.8 (2.7)
Precipitation inches (mm)	1.331 (33.8)	1.331 (33.8)	2.142 (54.4)	3.23 (82)	3.961 (100.6)	4.461 (113.3)	3.571 (90.7)	4.11 (104.4)	3.669 (93.2)	2.579 (65.5)	2.689 (68.3)	1.72 (43.7)	34.791 (883.7)
Source: weather.com

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1890	10,189		—
1900	13,258		30.1%
1910	17,587		32.7%
1920	19,669		11.8%
1930	22,045		12.1%
1940	22,368		1.5%
1950	22,467		0.4%
1960	26,628		18.5%
1970	27,736		4.2%
1980	26,266		−5.3%
1990	25,840		−1.6%
2000	26,443		2.3%
Census Quickfacts [2]

As of the census of 2000, there were 26,443 people, 11,222 households, and 6,845 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,316.9 people per square mile (894.8/km²). There were 12,471 housing units at an average density of 1,092.7/sq mi (422.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 81.77% White, 13.81% African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.97% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.00% from other races, and 2.22% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.12% of the population.

There were 11,222 households out of which 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.1% were married couples living together, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.0% were non-families. 33.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.5% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 18.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 87.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $35,399, and the median income for a family was $43,787. Males had a median income of $35,870 versus $25,095 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,680. About 9.9% of families and 13.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.6% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

• Dan Balz, reporter for the Washington Post.
• Ken Behring, former owner of the Seattle Seahawks.
• John Callahan, MLB pitcher for the St. Louis Browns.
• Richard Wayne Dirksen, former organist/choirmaster of Washington National Cathedral and composer of church music.
• Calista Flockhart, the star of Ally McBeal.
• Charles Guiteau, assassin of U.S. President James A. Garfield.
• Corky Hale, jazz musician.
• Homer Hillebrand, MLB pitcher and first baseman for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
• Robert L. Johnson, founder of BET.
• Gerald McClellan, former middleweight champion boxer. He received a brain injury while boxing in London, England.
• Jimmie Mattern, world record setting aviation pioneer.
• Louella Parsons, the famous Hollywood gossip columnist.
• Jason Pearson, MLB pitcher for the Florida Marlins, San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals.
• Preston Pearson, NFL football running back with the Baltimore Colts, Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Dallas Cowboys.
• William Thomas Rawleigh, Illinois State Representative.
• William Avery Rockefeller, father of American oil tycoon and billionaire, John D. Rockefeller.
• Howard Zehr, "grandfather" of the restorative justice movement.

Schools

Public - Freeport District 145 Schools

Jones-Farrar Early Learning Center[3]

Five elementary schools (1st - 4th grade)

International Baccalaureate (IB) magnet school [4]

Blackhawk Elementary School [5]

Center Elementary School [6]

Empire Elementary School [7]

Lincoln-Douglas Elementary School [8]

Taylor Park Elementary School [9]

Carl Sandburg Middle school (5th - 8th grade)[10]

Freeport Middle school (5th - 8th grade)[11]

Freeport High School (Illinois) (9th - 12th grade)[12]

Transitional education facility.

Private

Immanuel Lutheran[13]

Established 1877

Daycare, Latch-key, Preschool - 8th grade

Lutheran School

Principal Mr. Micheal Welton

Aquin Catholic Schools[14]

Established

Preschool - 12th grade

Catholic School

Principal Mrs Dianne Potts

Tri-County Christian Schools[15]

Established 1983

Preschool - 8th grade

Non-denominational Christian School

Principal Mrs. Wendy Schardt

Mereih Christian Academy

Established 1995

Daycare, Latch-key, Preschool - 12th grade

Non-denominational Christian School

Principal

Colleges

Highland Community College

Serving thousands of students at the Freeport campus and at satellite locations throughout the district, Highland Community College offers 68 degree and certificate programs.[16]

Columbia College-Freeport

Ranked in the top tier of "America's Best Colleges" by U.S.News & World Report and ranked in the top 20 of military friendly colleges [17], Columbia College-Freeport is located on the Highland Community College campus.[18]

Points of interest

Stephenson County Historical Society & Museum The mission of the Stephenson County Historical Society, in partnership with the Freeport Park District, is to preserve, present, and promote local and regional history. This is achieved by maintaining and collecting quality artifacts, by educating the community, by collaborating with other institutions and organizations, and by interpreting and professionally presenting our local history.

Jane Addams Hull House Museum

Don Opel Arboretum This botanical garden has 3,000 plantings representing over 3,000 different species of ground coverings, trees and shrubs.

Park Hills Golf Course

Willow Lake

Little Cubs Field

Freeport Masonic Temple

Winneshiek Players

Freeport Art Museum

JETS Observatory

JETS, a student science club of Freeport High School, was established as a club for high school students to provide information regarding various careers in fields of science. The club provides a source of scientific recreation for high school students and the community of Freeport.

Parks Freeport Park District

One of Freeport's claim to fame is its park system.

Krape Park

Awarded "Outstanding Multi-use Facility" award by Illinois Parks and Recreation Association.[19]

Heavily wooded Krape Park features a picturesque waterfall that tumbles down from a high limestone bluff.

Features:

Krape Park's one-of-a-kind historical carousel

Allan Herschell, 1959, Classic Metal (figures) Carousels, 2 row, Portable, 20 jumpers, 1 chariot, band organ no, original location,

Alterations: One chariot space made wheelchair accessible. Rounding boards and shields replaced.[20]

Outdoor band shell, Koenig Amphitheater.

Boat rental

Tennis courts

Nature trails

Sledding hills

Cross country skiing trails

Bike path

Baseball diamond

Numerous picnic tables and a duck pond.

Krape Park Kids Castle

Yellow Creek Adventure Golf

Bidwell Park

Size: 2 acres (8,100 m²)

Presented by the heirs of Orlando B. Bidwell, Bidwell Park is located across the street from Freeport Memorial Hospital. It features a small shelter with restrooms, a softball field, and a playground.

Knowlton Park

Size: <1 acre (4,000 m²)

Presented by the descendants of Dexter A. Knowlton to mark the 100th anniversary of his arrival to Freeport, Knowlton Park is located at the southeast corner of Broadway and Locust. It features a bronze tablet and tall Black Maple trees to shade benches and play equipment.

Read Park

Read Park features the Read Park Family Aquatic Center, complete with a zero-depth swimming pool, water slides, spray features, and sand volleyball area and a 11,000-square-foot (1,000 m²) concrete skate park (Sk8 Park) that features obstacles, ramps, rails, bowls and ledges for skateboard and in-line enthusiasts. One of the larger parks in Freeport, it also features a large pavilion, basketball courts, children’s playground, shuffleboard courts, tennis courts, and softball fields. It is also home to the newly added Little Cubs Field.

Oakdale Nature Preserve

Over 133 acres (0.54 km²) of forests, streams and restored prairies including more than four miles (6 km) of trails that wind through the Preserve as well as a 1/3-mile hard-packed accessible trail. In addition, Oakdale features a lodge, an auditorium and a nature center. Oakdale facilities are available for reunions, weddings, business meetings, retreats or gatherings.

Taylor Park

Size: 74 acres (300,000 m²)

Freeport Park District acquired Taylor Park in 1911; it features three lighted softball fields, concession stand, basketball courts, picnic shelter and Abraham Lincoln statue. Taylor Park is home to the Park District's adult softball leagues and tournaments, which draw large crowds during summer nights.

Wilbur Park

Size: 1 acre (4,000 m²)

Donated by local industrialist W.T. Rawleigh and named after his son (who died during WWI),Wilbur Park was deeded over to Freeport Park District on July 13, 1948. The park features nicely landscaped terrain and playground equipment.

External links

• City of Freeport
• Freeport Chamber of Commerce
• Stephenson County Museum
• Freeport, Illinois
• Freeport Park District
• Freeport School District #145
• Freeport Area Economic Development Foundation
• 1994 reenactment of Lincoln-Douglas Debate in Freeport sponsored by C-SPAN (Debate preview and Debate review)