I was born and raised in Brooklyn in New York; so visiting endangered historic Brooklyn in Illinois in the northwestern corner of Saint Clair County was of interest to me. The western edge of this historically significant town of only 0.81 square miles is located on the Mississippi River; and its official motto is “Founded by Chance, Sustained by Courage.”
Visiting Endangered Historic Brooklyn — In Illinois
The sky was overcast with dreary clouds and a threat of rain as I entered the village with a population of 750 people, according to a sign along Illinois State Highway 3 — although only 649 residents live in Brooklyn as of the census of 2020 in the United States.
A blue sign at the border of the small commuter town off of Illinois State Highway 3 proclaims:
Welcome
TO
BROOKLYN
Americas Oldest Black
Incorporated Community
Brooklyn Recreation Park was dedicated on Saturday, June 12, 2004 — but it was desolate, as no one was in the park when I was there.
The Antioch Baptist Church on 411 Short Street was established in 1838.
Brooklyn African Methodist Episcopal Church is thought to be the first AME church west of the Appalachian Mountains when it was established in 1836 — but its name was eventually changed to Quinn Chapel AME Church to honor William Paul Quinn, who was the fourth bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and was recognized for his involvement in the Underground Railroad.
The ministers of both churches used them as Underground Railroad stations to aid slaves who were escaping to freedom in Canada. William Paul Quinn and Priscilla Baltimore visited slaves in neighboring towns to inform them of the existence of the Underground Railroad; and housed slaves in the churches before sending them to the next station. Both of these church buildings have survived.
Look closely and you will find references to the historic past of this village.
“Brooklyn, Illinois, is the oldest — and one of the last remaining — majority-Black incorporated towns in the country”, according to the official Internet web site of Landmarks Illinois, which proclaimed the small village as one of the most endangered historic places in Illinois in 2023. “Oral history suggests that in 1829, Priscilla ‘Mother’ Baltimore, a free Black woman, led 11 Black families out of Missouri into Illinois. These first settlers established a freedom village directly across the Mississippi River from St. Louis. Its relative seclusion and proximity to the state border made it an effective safe haven for people escaping slavery. Two of the town’s churches also served as Underground Railroad sites. The African- and European-American residents of Brooklyn voted to incorporate in 1873, making it the first legally recognized majority-Black town.”
The aforementioned eleven families comprised of both fugitives and free people as they fled slavery by crossing the Mississippi River to the free state of Illinois, where they established a freedom village in what was known as the American Bottoms.
Priscilla Baltimore reportedly purchased her freedom as an adult from her master. She also bought the freedom of members of her family. Born in Kentucky, she tracked her Caucasian father to Missouri and bought the freedom of her mother from him.
The reasons as to why the existence of Brooklyn is considered to be endangered is because it has continuously struggled with persistent crime — and it is threatened by a declining population, a high unemployment rate as a result of a significant loss of jobs due to a decline of industry, and a limited economy and tax base.
Worse is that the village has sold parcels of land to railroad companies, which has contributed to the ongoing disinvestment in Brooklyn. this historically significant town located on the Mississippi River.
Brooklyn Village Hall curiously uses a Lovejoy address. The small United States Post Office — which is located a couple of blocks away — also considers the area as Lovejoy.
Erected in 1952, the Civic Center is located on 500 Washington Street next to — and just north of — Brooklyn Village Hall.
Brooklyn has its own police department, which has at least nine late model vehicles — with one of them seemingly needing maintenance or repair at the time I visited.
No one at the Brooklyn Police Department really cared that I was conspicuously taking photographs.
Brooklyn also has its own Fire Protection District. The white car is assigned to the fire commissioner of the fire department.
A cluster of bars and strip clubs provide a primary source of revenue to the limited economy of Brooklyn. A sales tax and a licensing fee from the adult clubs of $30,000.00 comprise approximately 75 percent of the revenue of $380,000.00 for Brooklyn.
Bottoms Up, Roxy’s Nightclub, and Club O Gentlemen’s Club are all within proximity of the intersection of Madison Street and Third Street.
Final Boarding Call
Brooklyn is long overdue for a better future and a rightful place in the history of the United States, in my opinion. The residents of Brooklyn seem to be proud of the heritage of their village. If you are interested in working to preserve the rich history of the endangered village, contact Robert White of the Historical Society of Brooklyn to see how you join the expansive network by sending an e-mail message to rlwhite3@gmail.com to express your interest and offer assistance.
After curiously doing some cursory research, I was surprised to find out that no fewer than 22 locations within the United States are named Brooklyn, according to geotarget.com. In addition to Brooklyn in New York, I have been to the abandoned town of Brooklyn in West Virginia — and I have also visited Breukelen in the Netherlands, which is the namesake for Brooklyn in New York.
Will I visit every Brooklyn in the United States similar to when I visited every New York in the United States? Who knows? I have been know to engage in wacky travels before, so…
Brooklyn is located in Illinois across the Mississippi River approximately three miles northeast of the downtown area of the city of Saint Louis in Missouri and two miles north of East Saint Louis in Illinois.
All photographs ©2024 by Brian Cohen.
