William "Tutty" Baker, credited as the founder of Freeport, Illinois, built a trading post on the banks of the Pecatonica River. A generous man, Baker began operating a free ferry across the river and even invited travelers into his home for meals and lodging. According to one story, Freeport earned its name after Baker's wife, Elizabeth Baker, asked him if his river port was a "Free Port", because of the number of people he didn't charge to ferry across the river.
Freeport celebrates the founder of the town with Tutty Baker days in the downtown area.
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Baker, William |
| Alternative names | "Tutty" |
| Short description | |
| Date of birth | 4/2/1793 |
| Place of birth | |
| Date of death | 7/14/1855 |
| Place of death | |
Famous quotes containing the word baker:
“When the excessively shy force themselves to be forward, they are frequently surprisingly unsubtle and overdirect and even rude: they have entered an extreme region beyond their normal personality, an area of social crime where gradations don’t count; unavailable to them are the instincts and taboos that booming extroverts, who know the territory of self-advancement far better, can rely on.”
—Nicholson Baker (b. 1957)