The oft-overlooked but historically rich town of Brooklyn, Illinois, recently was added to Landmarks Illinois’ annual Most Endangered Places list.
For the uninitiated, Brooklyn (aka Lovejoy) sits on Illinois Highway 3 between East St. Louis and Madison in the metro-east area of St. Louis. Illinois 3 was an alignment of Route 66 from 1929 to 1937.
Brooklyn well predates Route 66, though. The town will mark its bicentennial in 2029.
Here’s what Landmarks Illinois said about Brooklyn:
Brooklyn, Illinois, is the oldest — and one of the last remaining — majority-Black incorporated towns in the country. 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. Today, the small commuter town of 600 residents boasts the town motto, “Founded by Chance, Sustained by Courage.”
At one time there were hundreds of Black enclaves, settlements, and towns — some legally recognized, some not — in America. Today, Brooklyn is one of only a handful that survives as a living community. Although residents of Brooklyn are proud of their town’s legacy, Brooklyn’s story has not yet received the recognition it deserves. The small town’s future is threatened by a declining population, high unemployment and a limited economy and tax base. Additionally, in recent years the village has sold off dozens of parcels of land to the Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific railroads, whose tracks separate Brooklyn from the riverbank.
There are numerous organizations, stakeholders and institutions seeking a better future for Brooklyn. These entities should form a coalition to create a long-term plan to honor Brooklyn’s historic significance and ensure its continued existence through historic commemoration and economic development measures. Brooklyn belongs on the National Register of Historic Places. Such a designation will help the town gain the national attention it deserves and improve its access to funding for preservation initiatives. The Village of Brooklyn should place a moratorium on all future land sales to the railroads to preserve Brooklyn’s remaining physical presence.
Landmarks Illinois recommends emailing Robert White of the Historical Society of Brooklyn at rlwhite3@gmail.com to join the network working to preserve the town’s history. It also urges emailing Brooklyn Mayor Vera Glasper Banks at vgbanks@brooklynil.com to encourage her to not negotiate any future land sales in the town.
Nolan Stolz, who has been researching towns along Route 66 for a few years now, made several posts on Facebook about Brooklyn during his travels.
And Wikipedia has a surprisingly deep page about Brooklyn.
Brooklyn’s best-known former resident is blues guitar master Albert King, who influenced Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan.
Other sites in Illinois listed as endangered this year:
- Affordable housing, Cairo
- Old Lawes Hotel, Charleston
- Century and Consumers buildings, Chicago
- Damen silos, Chicago
- Baxter International Headquarters, Deerfield
- Alexander Brothers Blacksmith Shop, Geneva
- Oak Cottage, Naperville
- Historic wooden bridge, Richmond
Launched in 1995, Landmarks Illinois’ annual Most Endangered Places list aims to boost advocacy efforts and build support for each property’s eventual preservation.
(Hat tip to St. Louis Public Radio; image of Brooklyn, Illinois, via Landmarks Illinois)