Freeport

History

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. 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 1860 United States presidential election. 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 German migrants, both from Pennsylvania and from Europe, resettled in…

Geography

Freeport is at the center of a large agricultural area, located approximately south of the Wisconsin state line, west of Rockford, and northwest of Chicago. The Pecatonica River and Yellow Creek flow through the city. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. The area code for Freeport is 815 with an overlay area code of 815/779. The Pecatonica River has flooded Freeport seven times since May 2017. The necessary flood cleanup has cost the city more than $1.5 million. The frequency of severe weather events appears to be increasing. According to the State Climatologist, "the number of days Freeport has experienced heavy rainfall has steadily increased every decade since 1949." }}

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Freeport High School
  High · Freeport · 1,080 students · 12.9:1 ratio
• Freeport Middle School
  Middle · Freeport · 485 students · 13.9:1 ratio
• Carl Sandburg Middle Sch
  Middle · Freeport · 397 students · 12.4:1 ratio
• Dakota Elementary School
  Elementary · Dakota · 391 students · 13:1 ratio
• Dakota Jr Sr High School
  High · Dakota · 365 students · 15.9:1 ratio
• Jones-Farrar Intl Baccalaureate
  Elementary · Freeport · 326 students · 14.2:1 ratio
• Empire Elem School
  Elementary · Freeport · 325 students · 19.1:1 ratio
• Blackhawk Elem School
  Elementary · Freeport · 307 students · 12.3:1 ratio