- Freeport
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/free"pawrt', -pohrt'/, n.1. a village on SW Long Island, in SE New York. 38,272.2. a city in NW Illinois. 26,406.3. a city in SE Texas. 13,444.
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city, seat (1838) of Stephenson county, northwestern Illinois, U.S. It lies on the Pecatonica River, about 25 miles (40 km) west of Rockford. Pennsylvania Germans began arriving in the area in the late 1820s. The town was founded in 1835 by trader William (“Tutty”) Baker and settled by unsuccessful miners from the Galena lead-mining district, about 40 miles (65 km) west. Baker established a free ferry service across the river and provided free meals and accommodations to travelers, and the settlement (called Winneshiek) subsequently became known as “Free Port” in honour of his generosity. With the arrival of the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad (1853), followed by the Illinois Central and Racine and Mississippi railroads, Freeport developed as an industrial and agricultural centre. Its economic base still includes agriculture (especially dairying, corn [maize], and livestock); also important are manufacturing (including electronic sensors, tires, window treatments, machine components, and snack foods) and a sizable insurance industry. Since the late 1860s Freeport has been known for its pretzels, which have earned it the nickname “Pretzel City USA.”On August 27, 1858, Freeport was the site of the second Lincoln-Douglas debate (Lincoln-Douglas debates), during which Stephen A. Douglas (Douglas, Stephen A) formulated the “Freeport Doctrine,” in which he argued that a territory had the right to exclude slavery despite contrary U.S. Supreme Court decisions. Lincoln the Debater, a statue by Leonard Crunelle in Taylor Park, commemorates the debate and honours Abraham Lincoln (Lincoln, Abraham); another statue, of both men, was dedicated at the debate site in 1992. Freeport is the seat of Highland Community College (1962). The Stephenson County Historical Society Museum, housed in a mansion built in 1857, includes a farm and an arboretum. The city also contains an art museum and the Silvercreek Museum, which has exhibits of Americana and a working antique steam train. Lake Le-Aqua-Na State Park is northwest. Inc. 1855. Pop. (1990) 25,840; (2000) 26,443.city, Brazoria county, southeastern Texas, U.S., at the mouth of the Brazos River, on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, 60 miles (97 km) south of Houston. Settled in 1898 but officially founded in 1912 by exploiters of local sulfur deposits, it was developed as a deepwater port and now forms part of the industrial complex of Brazosport. It processes and exports chemicals and gasoline. Commercial fishing (shrimp) is also significant, and Freeport is the home port of one of the world's largest shrimp-trawler fleets. A large-scale saltwater conversion plant is immediately east. Velasco, which served as temporary capital of the Republic of Texas and where the treaty concluding the Texas Revolution was signed in 1836, was annexed by Freeport in 1957. A lighthouse (1896) is at the river's mouth. Inc. 1949. Pop. (1990) 11,389; (2000) 12,708.town, southwestern shore of Grand Bahama Island, The Bahamas (Bahamas, The). In 1955 the colonial Bahamian government entered into the so-called Hawksbill Creek Agreement with the newly created Grand Bahama Port Authority Limited (headed by an American lumber financier, Wallace Groves). The Port Authority was pledged to plan, construct, and administer a port area (Freeport) and to license businesses and industries therein in exchange for various tax exemptions and privileges for 99 years. (Subsequent amendments revised the prerogatives of the Port Authority, but it still remains.) So successful was the venture that the population of Freeport, 150 persons in 1956, grew dramatically in succeeding decades; the town and neighbouring resorts now draw hundreds of thousands of tourists each year. Freeport is the site of hotels, golf courses, developed beaches, one of the world's largest casinos, and the International Bazaar, which houses a variety of exotic duty-free shops. Freeport is also the location of a giant container transshipment port, of hotels, and of banks catering to foreign financial interests. Pop. (2002 est.) 42,600.* * *
Universalium. 2010.
