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Tutty Baker

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Firepuppy84 (talk | contribs) at 16:37, 24 August 2017 (Removed this sentence, "Freeport celebrates the founder of the town with Tutty Baker days in the downtown area." This removal is due to the fact that Tutty Baker Days is no longer an active festival in Freeport and hasn't been for years.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

William "Tutty" Baker (1793-1855), credited as the founder of Freeport, Illinois, built a trading post on the banks of the Pecatonica River. A generous man, Baker began operating a free ferry across the river and even invited travelers into his home for meals and lodging.[1] According to one story, Freeport earned its name after Baker's wife, Elizabeth Baker, asked him if his river port was a "Free Port", because of the number of people he didn't charge to ferry across the river.[2]

A monument to him was erected in Freeport by the Daughters of the American Revolution.[3]

References

  1. ^ "History of Freeport". City of Freeport. Retrieved 15 January 2013.
  2. ^ Illinois, written by the Federal Writer's Project of the Work Projects Administration for the State of (1939). Illinois; a descriptive and historical guide. St. Clair Shores, Mich.: Somerset Publishers. pp. 520–521. ISBN 0403012929.
  3. ^ "Tutty Baker Monument". Freeport/Stephenson County Convention & Visitors Bureau. Retrieved 15 January 2013.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tutty_Baker&oldid=797045641"