Brooklyn, Illinois

Geobox|Settlement
name = Brooklyn
native_name =
other_name =
category = Village
etymology =
official_name =
motto =
nickname =

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image_caption = Brooklyn's adult entertainment strip


symbol =
country = United States
state = Illinois
region = St. Clair
region_type = County
district =
district_type = Township
municipality =
location =
elevation_imperial =
prominence_imperial =
lat_d = 38
lat_m = 39
lat_s = 24
lat_NS = N
long_d = 90
long_m = 9
long_s = 55
long_EW = W
coordinates_no_title = 1
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length_imperial =
length_orientation =
area_imperial = 0.8
area_land_imperial = 0.8
area_water_imperial =
area_urban_imperial =
area_metro_imperial =
population = 676
population_date = 2000
population_urban =
population_metro =
population_density =
population_density_imperial = 801.9
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mayor =
leader =
leader_type = Village president
timezone = CST
utc_offset = -6
timezone_DST = CDT
utc_offset_DST = -5
postal_code = XXXXX
area_code = XXX
code =
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map_caption = Location of Brooklyn within Illinois
map_background =
map_locator = Illinois
commons = Brooklyn, Illinois
statistics =
website =
footnotes =

Brooklyn (popularly known as Lovejoy), is a village in St. Clair County, Illinois, United States. Located just north of East St. Louis, Illinois, it is the oldest town incorporated in United States by African Americans. The town's name has nearly slipped into oblivion as a result of Mayor Evans dedicating the town's new post office (October, 1891) with the name Lovejoy (after abolitionist Elijah P. Lovejoy.)

History

In 1829, led by "Mother" Priscilla Baltimore, a group of eleven families composed of both fugitive and quasi-free Blacks fled slavery in St. Louis, Missouri, crossed the Mississippi River, and established a maroon community in the wilderness of the American Bottoms. In 1837, five white abolitionists platted the land and created an unincorporated nearly all-black town. On July 8,1873, Brooklyn, Illinois was incorporated. When in 1886 the overwhelming African-American majority gained complete political control, most remaining whites moved to other places and the village soon became all black.

In 2007, The Historical Society Of Brooklyn Illinois was founded. The historical society,in conjunction with the Illinois Transportation Archaeological Research Project, Dr. Chris Fennell of the University Of Illinois and the Illinois State Museum are working to preserve the history of Brooklyn, Illinois. Research has shown that Mother Priscilla Baltimore's Freedom Village is located in Upper Brooklyn. Preliminary test performed by Dr. Joseph Galloy and a team of archaeologist determined that the site is intact. An archaeological field study will begin in the summer of 2009 to excavate "Mother Priscilla Baltimore's Freedom Village". The results of this collaborate project will enable the town along with its' three historic sites (Janey B. Goode archaeological site, Brooklyn's historic cemetery and Quinn Chapel A.M.E. Church begin the process to receive designation on the National Registry Of Historic Places.

Brooklyn suffers from the same economic blight and high crime rate that affects the East St. Louis area in general. A cluster of bars and strip clubs provide a primary source of revenue in its limited economy. In June 2007, it was reported that three-quarters of Brooklyn's revenue of $380,000 comes through sales tax and a $30,000 licensing fee from the adult clubs. [ [http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/illinoisnews/story/0EC0FE6E9E3E4279862572F5001A8511?OpenDocument Angie Leventis, "Adult industry gives thousands back to tiny Brooklyn", "St. Louis Post-Dispatch", June 9, 2007] ]

Geography

Brooklyn is located at coor dms|38|39|24|N|90|9|55|W|city (38.656800, -90.165412).GR|1

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 0.8 square miles (2.2 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 676 people, 267 households, and 166 families residing in the village. The population density was 801.9 people per square mile (310.7/km²). There were 346 housing units at an average density of 410.5/sq mi (159.0/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 0.59% White, 98.67% African American, 0.15% Native American, and 0.59% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.44% of the population.

There were 267 households out of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 16.9% were married couples living together, 39.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.8% were non-families. 36.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 25.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.34.

In the village the population was spread out with 30.3% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 21.9% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 18.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 68.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 60.8 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $16,630, and the median income for a family was $30,994. Males had a median income of $24,375 versus $21,108 for females. The per capita income for the village was $7,944. About 28.2% of families and 48.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.5% of those under age 18 and 74.0% of those age 65 or over.

Notable residents

*Hamiet Bluiett, saxophonist (b. 1940)

Bibliography

*Cha-Jua, Sundiata Keita (2000). "America's First Black Town: Brooklyn, Illinois, 1830-1915". Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois Press.

References

External links

* [http://www.press.uillinois.edu/f02/chajua.html "America's First Black Town: Brooklyn, Illinois, 1830-1915"]
* [http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3945/is_200204/ai_n9034399 Review of "America's First Black Town: Brooklyn, Illinois, 1830-1915"]
* [http://www.lib.niu.edu/ipo/2002/ih020317.html Review of "America's First Black Town: Brooklyn, Illinois, 1830-1915"]