All that remains of the thriving little community of Equal Rights are a few piles of rocks and a remodeled one-room schoolhouse. Its residents were free blacks, who farmed and burned lime. They left about 100 years ago. Their story begins in Galena with two men: Preachers Henry Smith and Walter Baker.
Smith came to Galena around 1842 when the city was growing economically. Smith was just one of many free blacks to take advantage of the robust economy and warm religious climate that the city offered.
Galena's economy began to decline on the eve of the Civil War. Blacks were leaving the town in search of work. That included members of his church, the Colored Union Baptist Church. By 1860, the church had closed its doors. Smith was out of a job. He took his wife and children and went east to start what became known as Equal Rights, a small settlement located few miles south of Warren.
Galena Public Library Historian Scott Wolfe has done extensive research on the black population in Galena during the 1800s. He said two original Baptist preachers were Henry Smith and Walter Baker. They later became major players in the Equal Rights settlement.
"Henry Smith or Preacher Henry,Husky Injection Mold Systems designs and manufactures a broad range of as he was called, was Primitive Baptist." Wolfe explained. "He was born in Kentucky. He was illiterate but quite a prominent speaker. He traveled around preaching. He must have known the Bible by heart because he couldn't read a word of it."
Walter Baker was mining lead west of Dubuque, Iowa before he moved to Galena. The area was still known as "Baker's Diggings," even though he no longer lived there. Baker operated a restaurant in Galena and was also a barber. He pastored the Colored Union Baptist Church with Smith. Wolfe said Baker's house still exists on West Street in Galena.
"Henry Smith had a junk yard down on Spring Street," Wolfe said. "He ended up purchasing a coil of copper wire that had been stolen off a steamboat from a black youth by name of Buckner. He got himself in trouble."
Wolfe feels Smith and Baker left Galena for a combination of reasons: the economy and the ending of the Colored Baptist Church. For Smith the issue of selling stolen property may have been another factor for leaving.
Smith brought his wife Leah and their children Robert, Joseph and Susan to Equal Rights.
He may have chosen the area because it was about half-way between the Little Flock Baptist Church in Scales Mound and the Providence Church in rural Lena. Wolfe said the land was available and very reasonably priced. Their neighbors appeared to be accommodating.
"Quakers possibly," he said. "I remember people visiting the (Galena) library. They were doing research on those families and they were Quakers. If they were Quakers then they would have been anti-slavery prior to the war and accommodating to blacks after the war. So,Shop at Lowe's for garage Ceramic tile, I think that might have been a factor."
Wolfe continued, "They were farmers, probably no more than sustenance farmers. They just grew enough for their own purposes and not for market. They may have had some animals for milk and eggs and cheese and such. Then they supplemented their farm income with lime-burning. Today there are even remnants of the lime kilns."
Joseph and Robert Smith were the lime burners.
Historian Daryl Watson explained the process, "At this time they would cook the limestone rock and it would leave a white residue. Then they would mix that with sand and that would make a mortar. When they burned the lime they would burn it under lots and lots layers of stone and wood.Get information on Air purifier from the unbiased,"
Watson said the mortar was an important part of a rock foundation. The mortar would go in between the rocks and it worked quite well. The lime and sand mortar was very soft. Stones would crack and chip over a period of time if the mortar was not soft.
Baker and his wife Elizabeth also moved to Equal Rights.
"In the 1870 Census, Walter Baker is listed as a physician,Omega Plastics are leading plastic injection moulding and injection mould tooling specialists." Wolfe said. "His little plot of ground was located immediately north of the Equal Rights School. He was an herb doctor. He must have known all the roots and various natural medicines."
Wolfe added, "After Walter died, his widow later married a white man named Thomas Davey."
The Equal Rights School
In the 1870s the Equal Rights School opened its doors.
Wolfe said, "As far as I know,Offering high risk and offshore merchant account with credit card processing services. both white and black students attended. It was typical of a frame or stone country school that you would see around Jo Daviess County. It had two doors, one for boys and one for girls. It was also called Forest Hill. It has been turned into a residence."
Smith came to Galena around 1842 when the city was growing economically. Smith was just one of many free blacks to take advantage of the robust economy and warm religious climate that the city offered.
Galena's economy began to decline on the eve of the Civil War. Blacks were leaving the town in search of work. That included members of his church, the Colored Union Baptist Church. By 1860, the church had closed its doors. Smith was out of a job. He took his wife and children and went east to start what became known as Equal Rights, a small settlement located few miles south of Warren.
Galena Public Library Historian Scott Wolfe has done extensive research on the black population in Galena during the 1800s. He said two original Baptist preachers were Henry Smith and Walter Baker. They later became major players in the Equal Rights settlement.
"Henry Smith or Preacher Henry,Husky Injection Mold Systems designs and manufactures a broad range of as he was called, was Primitive Baptist." Wolfe explained. "He was born in Kentucky. He was illiterate but quite a prominent speaker. He traveled around preaching. He must have known the Bible by heart because he couldn't read a word of it."
Walter Baker was mining lead west of Dubuque, Iowa before he moved to Galena. The area was still known as "Baker's Diggings," even though he no longer lived there. Baker operated a restaurant in Galena and was also a barber. He pastored the Colored Union Baptist Church with Smith. Wolfe said Baker's house still exists on West Street in Galena.
"Henry Smith had a junk yard down on Spring Street," Wolfe said. "He ended up purchasing a coil of copper wire that had been stolen off a steamboat from a black youth by name of Buckner. He got himself in trouble."
Wolfe feels Smith and Baker left Galena for a combination of reasons: the economy and the ending of the Colored Baptist Church. For Smith the issue of selling stolen property may have been another factor for leaving.
Smith brought his wife Leah and their children Robert, Joseph and Susan to Equal Rights.
He may have chosen the area because it was about half-way between the Little Flock Baptist Church in Scales Mound and the Providence Church in rural Lena. Wolfe said the land was available and very reasonably priced. Their neighbors appeared to be accommodating.
"Quakers possibly," he said. "I remember people visiting the (Galena) library. They were doing research on those families and they were Quakers. If they were Quakers then they would have been anti-slavery prior to the war and accommodating to blacks after the war. So,Shop at Lowe's for garage Ceramic tile, I think that might have been a factor."
Wolfe continued, "They were farmers, probably no more than sustenance farmers. They just grew enough for their own purposes and not for market. They may have had some animals for milk and eggs and cheese and such. Then they supplemented their farm income with lime-burning. Today there are even remnants of the lime kilns."
Joseph and Robert Smith were the lime burners.
Historian Daryl Watson explained the process, "At this time they would cook the limestone rock and it would leave a white residue. Then they would mix that with sand and that would make a mortar. When they burned the lime they would burn it under lots and lots layers of stone and wood.Get information on Air purifier from the unbiased,"
Watson said the mortar was an important part of a rock foundation. The mortar would go in between the rocks and it worked quite well. The lime and sand mortar was very soft. Stones would crack and chip over a period of time if the mortar was not soft.
Baker and his wife Elizabeth also moved to Equal Rights.
"In the 1870 Census, Walter Baker is listed as a physician,Omega Plastics are leading plastic injection moulding and injection mould tooling specialists." Wolfe said. "His little plot of ground was located immediately north of the Equal Rights School. He was an herb doctor. He must have known all the roots and various natural medicines."
Wolfe added, "After Walter died, his widow later married a white man named Thomas Davey."
The Equal Rights School
In the 1870s the Equal Rights School opened its doors.
Wolfe said, "As far as I know,Offering high risk and offshore merchant account with credit card processing services. both white and black students attended. It was typical of a frame or stone country school that you would see around Jo Daviess County. It had two doors, one for boys and one for girls. It was also called Forest Hill. It has been turned into a residence."
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