Brooklyn, Illinois, considered the oldest Black settlements in U.S. history, is dying, leaving its legacy at risk.
According to The Chicago Tribune , the area has a storied history as one of the first majority-Black towns in the country to incorporate. Established in the 1830s, Brooklyn started as a refuge for free and enslaved Black people along the Mississippi river, once noted as a key outpost for the Underground Railroad. According to oral history, “Mother” Priscilla Baltimore led 11 Black families, some escaping slavery, to the area across from St. Louis.
Within its city limits, Black people could find community and a livelihood on their own terms. Incorporated in 1873, its population reached its greatest height of over 2,500 people less than a century later.
Under its motto, “Founded by Chance, Sustained by Courage,” Brooklyn represented the possibilities for Black life in America. Despite racial discrimination found nationwide, Brooklyn offered its own haven for Black people to thrive and find jobs in nearby factories.