Freeport is the largest city in

Stephenson County, Illinois Stephenson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 United States census, it had a population of 44,630. Its county seat is Freeport. Stephenson County is included in the Freeport, IL Micropolitan Sta ...

, United States, and its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

. The population was 23,973 at the 2020 census, and the mayor of Freeport is Jodi Miller, elected in 2017. Freeport is known for hosting the second Lincoln–Douglas debate of 1858, and as "Pretzel City, USA", due to a popular local German bakery that became well known for its prolific pretzel production after it opened in 1869. Freeport High School's mascot is the Pretzel to honor its heritage.

History

The community was originally called Winneshiek. When it was incorporated, the new municipality took its name from the generosity of

Tutty Baker William "Tutty" Baker (1793-1855), was an American pioneer credited as the founder of Freeport, Illinois. Originating from the southern United States, he claimed the land which would become Freeport, then occupied by the Winnebago tribe, in 1827, t ...

, who was credited with running a "free port" on the

Pecatonica River The Pecatonica River is a tributary of the Rock River, long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed May 13, 2011 in southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois in the United Stat ...

. 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 Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, 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 published in German. By then, the community had a population of 2,000. On August 27, 1858, the second debate between

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

and

Stephen A. Douglas Stephen Arnold Douglas (né Douglass; April 23, 1813 – June 3, 1861) was an American politician and lawyer from Illinois. As a United States Senate, U.S. senator, he was one of two nominees of the badly split Democratic Party (United States) ...

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 The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

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 Presidency in 1860. A monument to the debate was dedicated in 1903 by President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...

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 Leonard Crunelle (8 July 1872 in Lens, Pas-de-Calais – 10 September 1944 in Chicago) was a French-born American sculptor especially known for his sculptures of children. Crunelle immigrated with his family to the United States and worked as a ...

, 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 Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN ) is an American Cable television in the United States, cable and Satellite television in the United States, satellite television network, created in 1979 by the cable television industry as a Non ...

. 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

Germans Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, constitution of Germany, imple ...

, both from Pennsylvania and from their European homeland, resettled in Stephenson County bringing with them their love of pretzel snacks. In 1869, a German immigrant named John Billerbeck established the Billerbeck Bakery, which distributed so many pretzels to residents that the local newspaper later dubbed Freeport the "Pretzel City". The city later capitalized on this nickname in 2003 by starting Freeport's first Pretzel Festival. Before February 1893, a large square of land was purchased from the former Keller-Wittbecker farm in East Freeport. Some of this land had been subdivided and platted as the "Arcade Addition", as Arcade Manufacturing used some of that square of land in 1893 to rebuild its factory after a fire in its original location had destroyed everything. The Arcade Manufacturing Company had been in operation since 1885 when the previous

Novelty Iron Works The Novelty Iron Works was an ironworking firm founded to make boilers in New York City, located on East 12th street in Manhattan. The founder was the Rev. Eliphalet Nott President of Union College of Schenectady, New York Schenectady ...

had gone out of business at the corner of Chicago and Jackson streets. That earlier company began as early as 1868. After the 1892 fire, the Arcade Manufacturing Company built an entirely new factory in the Arcade Addition of East Freeport, where they produced coffee mills and other metal products. Freeport is home to the oldest Carnegie Library in Illinois and one of the first Carnegie Libraries designed by the

architectural firm of Patton and Miller. It was renovated into Freeport's city hall and city offices were moved to Carnegie City Hall in February 2017. The City of Freeport transitioned to the

city manager A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city in the council–manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are referred to as the chief executive officer (CEO) or chief administ ...

form of government in May 2017.

Geography

Freeport is located approximately south of the Wisconsin state line, and at the center of a large agricultural area, located about northwest of

, and west of Rockford. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

U.S. Route 20 U.S. Route 20 or U.S. Highway 20 (US 20) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway that stretches from the Pacific Northwest east to New England. The "0" in its route number indicates that US 20 is a major coast-to-coast route. ...

is a four-lane divided highway that skirts the community's northern edge. At Rockford, it links with Interstates 90 and 39, giving Freeport residents access to the entire Interstate system. From Freeport, U.S. 20 continues west to

Galena Galena, also called lead glance, is the natural mineral form of lead(II) sulfide (PbS). It is the most important ore of lead and an important source of silver. Galena is one of the most abundant and widely distributed sulfide minerals. It crysta ...

, and the metropolitan area of

Dubuque Dubuque (, ) is a city in Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. The population was 59,667 at the 2020 United States census. The city lies along the Mississippi River at the junction of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, a region ...

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

. The

area code A telephone numbering plan is a type of numbering scheme used in telecommunication to assign telephone numbers to subscriber telephones or other telephony endpoints. Telephone numbers are the addresses of participants in a telephone network, rea ...

for Freeport is 815 with an overlay area code of 779 .

Climate and flooding

The

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." The city is seeking funding to buy out homes in flood-prone neighborhoods. One study estimates that for "every $1 communities like Freeport spend to relocate their residents they will save $6 in future clean ups."

Demographics

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, the population was 23,973. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 11,888 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 68.9%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 17.9%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 1.0% Asian, 0.4%

Native American Native Americans or Native American usually refers to Native Americans in the United States. Related terms and peoples include: Ethnic groups * Indigenous peoples of the Americas, the pre-Columbian peoples of North, South, and Central America ...

, 2.9% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), ...

, and 8.8% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 7.1%

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race.

2000 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 26,443 people, 11,222 households, and 6,845 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 12,471 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 81.77%

, 13.81%

, 0.19%

, 0.97% Asian, 0.04%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 1.00% from

, and 2.22% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 2.12% of the population. There were 11,222 households, out of which 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.1% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.0% were non-families. 33.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.93. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.5% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 18.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $35,399, and the median income for a family was $43,787. Males had a median income of $35,870 versus $25,095 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $18,680. About 9.9% of families and 13.1% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 18.6% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Tourism

Tourist sites in the area include the

Don Opel Arboretum Don Opel Arboretum is an arboretum located on the campus of Highland Community College, 2998 West Pearl City Road, Freeport, Illinois. See also * List of botanical gardens in the United States External links Article about the Don Opel Arbor ...

, a botanical garden with over 3,000 different species of ground coverings, trees and shrubs. The Stephenson County Historical Society Museum includes

Oscar Taylor House The Oscar Taylor House is a historic house in the city of Freeport, Illinois. The house was built in 1857 and served as a "station" on the Underground Railroad during the American Civil War. It was added to the National Register of Historic Pla ...

, a one-room schoolhouse, the Industrial/Arcade Toy Museum, an Irish homestead log cabin, and an arboretum. The Freeport Art Museum is located on N. Harlem Avenue.

Parks and recreation

* Krape Park was awarded "Outstanding Multi-use Facility" award by the Illinois Parks and Recreation Association. Heavily wooded Krape Park features a waterfall that tumbles down from a high limestone bluff. Visitors can ride paddle boats, play mini golf, disc golf, or play on one of the three playground areas. Krape Park is a

palindrome A palindrome (Help:IPA/English, /ˈpæl.ɪn.droʊm/) is a word, palindromic number, number, phrase, or other sequence of symbols that reads the same backwards as forwards, such as ''madam'' or ''racecar'', the date "Twosday, 02/02/2020" and th ...

. * Read Park features the Read Park Family Aquatic Center and a skate park. One of the larger parks in Freeport, it also features a large pavilion, basketball courts, children's playground, shuffleboard courts, tennis courts, and softball fields. It is also home to Little Cubs Field, a replica of Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL. * Oakdale Nature Preserve has over of forests, streams and restored prairies including more than four miles (6 km) of trails as well as a 1/3-mile hard-packed accessible trail. A historic tabernacle sits on the property, doubling as an auditorium. It is currently being restored. * Taylor Park, a park acquired in 1911, features three lighted softball fields, concession stand, basketball courts, picnic shelter and Abraham Lincoln statue. This statue, located in the southwest section of the park, was sculpted in 1928–29 by Leonard Crunelle. Its dedication on August 27, 1929, was attended by many notable guests, and was covered by newspapers across the country. * Bidwell Park a park presented by the heirs of Orlando B. Bidwell, features a small shelter with restrooms, a softball field, and a playground. * Knowlton Park, a park presented by the descendants of Dexter A. Knowlton to mark the 100th anniversary of his arrival to Freeport, features a bronze tablet and tall black maple trees to shade benches and play equipment. * Wilbur Park, a park donated by local industrialist

W. T. Rawleigh William Thomas Rawleigh (December 3, 1870 – January 23, 1951) was a businessman and politician in the state of Illinois. Early life W.T. Rawleigh was born on the family farm, near Mineral Point, Wisconsin, on December 3, 1870. As the oldest o ...

and named after his son (who died during World War I), was deeded over to Freeport Park District on July 13, 1948. The park features landscaped terrain and playground equipment.

Education

Public schools

* Freeport High School * Carl Sandburg Middle School * Freeport Middle School * Jones-Farrar Magnet School * Blackhawk Elementary School * Center Elementary School * Empire Elementary School * Lincoln-Douglas Elementary School * Taylor Park Elementary School

Private schools

* Immanuel Lutheran * Aquin Catholic Schools * Tri-County Christian Schools * Open Bible Learning Center

Colleges

* Highland Community College offers 68 degree and certificate programs. * Columbia College-Freeport, located on the Highland Community College campus.

Media

Local Freeport media includes

WFRL WFRL (1570 AM broadcasting, AM) is a radio station licensed to Freeport, Illinois. WFRL airs a classic country format and is owned by Big Radio. Its studios and transmitter are at 834 North Tower Road, northeast of Freeport. The station feature ...

(1570 AM),

WFPS WFPS is an FM radio station in Freeport, Illinois, operating on an assigned frequency of 92.1 megahertz as authorized by the Federal Communications Commission. It shares studios with sister WFRL at 834 North Tower Road, northeast of Freeport. Th ...

Radio (92.1 FM) and ''

The Journal Standard ''The Journal Standard'' is an American daily newspaper published Monday through Saturday in Freeport, Illinois, by Gannett for readers in Carroll, Jo Daviess, Ogle Ogle may refer to: Places * Ogle County, Illinois, United States * Origina ...

'' daily newspaper.

Transportation

Transit

Freeport and surrounding Stephenson County is serviced by Pretzel City Area Transit (PCAT) This is a private company in a partnership with the Senior Resource Center, the city of Freeport provides small bus and/or van transportation throughout all of Stephenson County. With a fleet of 14 small buses / vans, PCAT provides over 83,000 rides per year.

Freeways

US-20 Runs along the north side of Freeport.

Airports

Albertus Airport Albertus Airport (IATA airport code, IATA: FEP, ICAO airport code, ICAO: KFEP, Federal Aviation Administration, FAA Location identifier, LID: FEP) is a civil public-use airport located 3 miles southeast of the city of Freeport, Illinois, United ...

is a civil public-use airport located southeast of the city. The airport is owned by the city.

Intercity rail and bus

Freeport has a rail line running east and west on the north side of city. Amtrak "Black Hawk" serviced the city until 2014. Freeport station is a historic station.

Notable people

* Joseph M. Bailey, jurist and legislator *

Dan Balz Daniel Balz is an American journalist at ''The Washington Post'', where he has been a political correspondent since 1978. Balz has served as National Editor, Political Editor, White House correspondent and as the ''Washington Post''s Texas-based S ...

, award-winning political reporter for the Washington Post *

Ken Behring Kenneth Eugene Behring (June 13, 1928 – June 25, 2019) was an American real estate developer, and former owner of the National Football League's Seattle Seahawks. Early years Born in Freeport, Illinois, Behring was the son of Mae (Priewe) and ...

, owned the NFL's

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...

Harry Boeke Harry C. Boeke (September 28, 1883 – September 13, 1936) was an American businessman and politician. Boeke was born in Lena, Illinois. He graduated from the Lena High School in 1902 and from Barlow Business School in 1904. Boeke lived in F ...

, Illinois state senator and businessman *

Carl Cain Carl Cecil Cain (August 2, 1934 – June 2, 2024) was an American basketball player. He was a member of the United States national team that won the Olympic gold medal in the 1956 Summer Olympics. Born in Freeport, Illinois, Cain played college ...

, 1956 Olympic basketball gold medalist, University of Iowa basketball player * John Callahan,

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

player *

Janet H. Clark Janet H. Clark Entzel (born June 13, 1941) is an American former politician. Clark was born in Freeport, Illinois and graduated from Burley High School in Burley, Idaho. She graduated from Westminster College, in Salt Lake City, Utah with a bac ...

, Minnesota state legislator * Alfred A. Cohn, author, journalist and newspaper editor, Police Commissioner, and screenwriter of the 1920s and 1930s *

A.D. Condo Armundo Dreisbach Condo (September 19, 1872 in Freeport, Illinois – 24 August 1956 in Albany, California) was an American cartoonist best known as the creator of the comic strip ''The Outbursts of Everett True''. History Condo first joined the ...

, cartoonist *

Richard Wayne Dirksen Richard Wayne Dirksen (February 8, 1921 - July 26, 2003) was an American musician and composer, who served as organist and choirmaster of the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., from 1977 to 1988. Previously he was assistant organi ...

, organist and choirmaster *

William Eckert William Dole Eckert (January 20, 1909 – April 16, 1971) was a lieutenant general in the United States Air Force, and later the fourth commissioner of Major League Baseball from to . Personal life, career, and death William Eckert was born ...

, Air Force general, Major League Baseball commissioner *

Calista Flockhart Calista Kay Flockhart (born November 11, 1964) is an American actress. She is best known for portraying the title character on the Fox television series '' Ally McBeal'' (1997–2002), for which she received a Golden Globe Award in 1998 and w ...

, actress * James B. Goetz, Minnesota Lieutenant Governor *

Tuffy Gosewisch James Benjamin "Tuffy" Gosewisch (born August 17, 1983), is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Seattle Mariners. Prior to beginning his professional career, ...

, Major League Baseball player *

Charles Guiteau Charles Julius Guiteau ( ; September 8, 1841June 30, 1882) was an American man who assassinated James A. Garfield, the 20th president of the United States, in 1881. A mentally ill failed lawyer, Guiteau delusionally believed that he had playe ...

, assassin of US President

James A. Garfield James Abram Garfield (November 19, 1831 – September 19, 1881) was the 20th president of the United States, serving from March 1881 until his death in September that year after being shot two months earlier. A preacher, lawyer, and Civi ...

Corky Hale Corky Hale (born July 3, 1936) is an American jazz harpist, pianist, flutist, and vocalist. She has been a theater producer, political activist, restaurateur, and the owner of the Corky Hale women's clothing store in Los Angeles, California. Ear ...

, jazz musician *

Clare Winger Harris Clare Winger Harris (January 18, 1891 – October 26, 1968) was a pioneering science fiction writer whose short stories were published during the 1920s. She is credited as the first woman to publish stories under her own name in science fiction ...

, science fiction author *

Oscar E. Heard Oscar Edwin Heard (June 26, 1856 – July 16, 1940) was an American jurist. Born in Freeport, Illinois, Heard received his bachelor's degree from Northwestern University and was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1879. He practiced law in Freeport, ...

, Illinois jurist *

Edmund Heller Edmund Heller (May 21, 1875 – July 18, 1939) was an American zoologist. He was President of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums for two terms, 1935–1936 and 1937–1938. Early life While at Stanford University, he collected specimens in the ...

(1875–1939) zoologist *

Homer Hillebrand Homer Hiller Henry Hillebrand (October 10, 1879January 20, 1974) was a professional baseball player who played three seasons for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball. Hillebrand played college baseball at Princeton University. ...

, Major League Baseball player *

Donna Jogerst Donna Mae Jogerst (September 11, 1932 – October 17, 2000) was an American left-handed pitcher who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Born in Freeport, Illinois, Jogerst saw little action with the Rockford Peaches in ...

, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player *

Robert L. Johnson Robert Louis Johnson (born April 8, 1946) is an American entrepreneur, media magnate, executive, philanthropist, and investor. He is the co-founder of BET, which was acquired by Viacom in 2001. He also founded RLJ Companies, a holding compa ...

, founder of

Black Entertainment Television Black Entertainment Television (BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting Black American audiences. It is the flagship channel of the BET Media Group, a subsidiary of Paramount Global's CBS Entertainment Group. Originally launched ...

(BET) *

Francis Lamb Francis Lamb (November 12, 1900 – July 26, 1975) was an American lawyer and politician. Born in Freeport, Illinois, Lamb moved with his family to Madison, Wisconsin in 1905. He received his bachelor's degree in 1923 from University of Wis ...

, Wisconsin State Assemblyman * Edward E. Laughlin, Illinois State Senator and lawyer *

Gerald McClellan Gerald Allen McClellan (born October 23, 1967) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1988 to 1995. He is a two-time middleweight world champion, having held the WBO title from 1991 to 1992, and the WBC title from 1993 to 19 ...

, middleweight boxing champion * John Meyer, Illinois State Representative, lawyer * Ravi Patel, film and TV actor *

Jason Pearson Jason Trent Pearson (August 29, 1970 – December 19, 2022) was an American comic book creator, known for his series '' Body Bags'' and for his dynamic illustration work on books featuring characters such as the Legion of Super-Heroes, Spider-Man ...

, Major League Baseball player *

Preston Pearson Preston James Pearson (born January 17, 1945) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Baltimore Colts, Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys. He played college bas ...

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

player *

Trisha Paytas Trisha Paytas (; born May 8, 1988) is an American media personality. Her content consists of a wide variety of genres including lifestyle-oriented vlogs, music videos, and mukbangs. As of July 2022, she has accumulated roughly 5 million subscr ...

, YouTube personality *

William Buckley Peck William Buckley Peck Jr. (October 11, 1870 - August 20, 1941) was a prominent physician and surgeon who founded, and for 25 years, served as the managing director of the Inter-State Postgraduate Medical Association of North America, became widely ...

, physician, surgeon, and founder of the Inter-State Postgraduate Medical Association of North America *

Julia Phillips Julia Phillips (née Miller; April 7, 1944 – January 1, 2002) was an American film producer and author. She co-produced with her husband Michael (and others) three prominent films of the 1970s—''The Sting'', ''Taxi Driver'', and ''Close En ...

, physicist and science policy leader * William Thomas Rawleigh, industrialist, Illinois State Representative * Harlan Rigney, Illinois State Representative * Stephen A. Rigney, Illinois state representative llinois Blue Book 1909-1910, Biographical Sketch of Stephen Rigney, pg. 206-207 * William Avery Rockefeller, father of John D. Rockefeller * Adolph Rupp, head basketball coach Freeport HS 1926-30 and Univ. of Kentucky 1930–72, for whom Rupp Arena is named. * Manuel Seal - Grammy Award-winning producer * Ted Snyder, songwriter * Charles J. Stine, silent film actor * Tiffany Thayer, author, actor, ''

Thirteen Women ''Thirteen Women'' is a 1932 American pre-Code psychological thriller film, produced by David O. Selznick and directed by George Archainbaud. It stars Myrna Loy, Irene Dunne and Ricardo Cortez. The film is based on the 1930 bestselling novel o ...

'' *

Alice Bradford Wiles Alice Bradford Wiles (February 16, 1853 – February 20, 1929) was an American clubwoman based in Chicago, Illinois. She was active at the national level with the Daughters of the American Revolution and at the state level as president of the Illi ...

, Chicago clubwoman, lived in Freeport *

Steve Luecke Stephen J. Luecke
Indiana Senate, First Regular Session, 117th General Assembly (2011). (born 1950) i ...

mayor of South Bend, Indiana This is a list of mayors of South Bend, Indiana, beginning with South Bend, Indiana, South Bend's incorporation as a city on May 22, 1865. William G. George served as the city's first mayor from 1865 to 1868. Joe Kernan (politician), Joe Kernan ...

, 1997-2012

References

External links

* {{authority control Cities in Illinois Micropolitan areas of Illinois Cities in Stephenson County, Illinois County seats in Illinois Populated places established in 1838 Rockford metropolitan area, Illinois 1838 establishments in Illinois