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History · Freeport Township

Freeport Township dates to 1827, and 34% of its homes were built before 1940

3 places in town are on the National Register. Below: 15 old photos and papers, maps from 1939 on, and the census since 1840.

1827founded
3on the National Register
34%homes built before 1940
15old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Freeport Township’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Freeport Township began

When was Freeport Township founded?

1827

Freeport Township dates its founding to 1827 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1840.

First census: 491 in 18402020 census: 23,973199 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1837.The full story ↓

What stands out about Freeport Township’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A town in old photos15 old photos, postcards and papers, 1858–1911.Deep rootsEstablished in 1827: 199 years of Freeport Township.Old housesHalf of Freeport Township’s homes were built before 1957.
★ What stands out · By decade

Freeport Township, decade by decade

5 decades in the archive, from the 1850s to the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1850s–1880s8 items
The Lincoln–Douglas debates of 1858 - FREEPORT ILLINOIS—THE BREWSTER HOUSE, 18601858The Lincoln–Douglas debates of 1858 - FREEPORT ILLINO…The Lincoln–Douglas debates of 1858 - SITE OF THE FREEPORT DEBATE1858The Lincoln–Douglas debates of 1858 - SITE OF THE FRE…The Lincoln–Douglas debates of 1858 - THE DEDICATION OF THE FREEPORT MARKER, 19031858The Lincoln–Douglas debates of 1858 - THE DEDICATION …Court House and Soldiers Monument1860Court House and Soldiers MonumentTheodore Roosevelt standing on table outdoors and making speech to men seated around him, hands at waist) - Smith Art P…1885Theodore Roosevelt standing on table outdoors and mak…Theodore Roosevelt standing on table outdoors and making speech to men seated around him, hands at waist) - Smith Art P…1885Theodore Roosevelt standing on table outdoors and mak…Theodore Roosevelt standing on table outdoors and making speech to men seated around him, right hand raised) - Smith Ar…1885Theodore Roosevelt standing on table outdoors and mak…Theodore Roosevelt standing on table outdoors and making speech to men seated around him, right hand raised) - Smith Ar…1885Theodore Roosevelt standing on table outdoors and mak…
1900s5 items
Pecatonica Dam1900Pecatonica DamUnveiling and dedication of Lincoln-Douglas Boulder by President Roosevelt at Freeport, Ills. June 3, 19031903Unveiling and dedication of Lincoln-Douglas Boulder b…Unveiling and dedication of Lincoln-Douglas Boulder by President Roosevelt at Freeport, Ills. June 3, 19031903Unveiling and dedication of Lincoln-Douglas Boulder b…Dr. White Sanatorium ("American medical directory", 1906 advert)1906Dr. White Sanatorium ("American medical directory", 1…The Rawleigh Man1909The Rawleigh Man
1910s2 items
CO. L.I.N.G. Freeport, Ill1910CO. L.I.N.G. Freeport, IllEmbury M.E. Church1911Embury M.E. Church
1920s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Timeline

Freeport Township, 1827 to 1939

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1827
    FoundingFreeport Township is established
  3. 1858In the archiveThe Lincoln–Douglas debates of 1858 - FREEPORT ILLINOIS—THE BREWSTER HOUSE, 1860
  4. 1860In the archiveCourt House and Soldiers Monument
  5. 1885In the archiveTheodore Roosevelt standing on table outdoors and making speech to men seated around him,…
  6. 20th century
  7. 1900In the archivePecatonica Dam
  8. 1910In the archiveCO. L.I.N.G. Freeport, Ill
  9. 1939On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
The story

How Freeport Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Freeport Township.

Read it all →

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.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

On the map

Freeport Township on the map, 1939 to 1998

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Freeport Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Freeport Township on the 1939 USGS mapFreeport Township on the 1944 USGS mapFreeport Township on the 1971 USGS mapFreeport Township on the 1998 USGS map1939Freeport sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Freeport Township.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

The Lincoln–Douglas debates of 1858 - FREEPORT ILLINOIS—THE BREWSTER HOUSE, 1860
Retake this viewThe Lincoln–Douglas debates of 1858 - FREEPORT ILLINOIS—THE BREWSTER HOUSE, 1860, 1858

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Freeport Township’s page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

3 historic places in Freeport Township

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
3
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
3
each building in a district counts

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

Freeport Township, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,0001850190019502000Peak: 27,736

Between 491 and 27,736 people in every census since 1840.

19 censuses, 1840–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Freeport Township’s Wikipedia page.

Help out

Finish Freeport Township’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewThe Lincoln–Douglas debates of 1858 - F…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Freeport3 historic placesALancaster TownshipIts storyBFlorence Township1 historic placeA−Harlem Township2 historic placesASilver Creek TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Freeport Township’s history

What year was Freeport Township founded?

In 1827, according to Wikidata. Freeport Township’s post office opened in 1837, and the census of 1840 counted 491 people here.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (9), the Library of Congress (6), Wikidata (2), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.