Local History: The 1899 Freeport City Hall Time Capsule

Presented by:

Sharon Welton, Executive Director of the Stephenson County Historical Society

Tim Weik, Vice President of the  Stephenson County Historical Society Board of Directors

This presentation will talk about the contents of the 1899 Freeport City Hall time capsule, which was salvaged from the building when it was razed in 2018. What were the contents, and why were they chosen?  What items did the city fathers think would best tell their story when the time capsule was opened, long after they were gone?

The presentation will also include a history of Freeport’s City Hall, and will try to paint a picture of Freeport as it was entering the 20^th  century, and how that city differs from the Freeport of 2019.