The Illinois State Museum hosts the weekly Brown Bag Lectures on the third Wednesday of each month. Bring your lunch and join them for a different speaker and topic at every lecture. This month, archaeologist and author Miranda Yancey-Bailey will give a presentation on Brooklyn, Illinois, a village two miles north of East St. Louis. Brooklyn is known as the first town to have a majority population of African- Americans at the time of its incorporation in 1873. In fact, nearly 40 years prior to its incorporation, Brooklyn was one of the few settlements in the area that allowed African-Americans to purchase lots and build homes. This lecture will discuss the town’s unofficial founder, Priscilla Baltimore, its early residents and institutions, and its initial growth and development. Brown Bag Lectures are held at the ISM Research & Collections Center at 1011 E. Ash St. in Springfield. For additional information, please email events@illinoisstatemuseum.org or call 217-558-6696.
The Illinois State Museum hosts the weekly Brown Bag Lectures on the third Wednesday of each month. Bring your lunch and join them for a different speaker and topic at every lecture. This month, archaeologist and author Miranda Yancey-Bailey will give a presentation on Brooklyn, Illinois, a village two miles north of East St. Louis. Brooklyn is known as the first town to have a majority population of African- Americans at the time of its incorporation in 1873. In fact, nearly 40 years prior to its incorporation, Brooklyn was one of the few settlements in the area that allowed African-Americans to purchase lots and build homes. This lecture will discuss the town’s unofficial founder, Priscilla Baltimore, its early residents and institutions, and its initial growth and development. Brown Bag Lectures are held at the ISM Research & Collections Center at 1011 E. Ash St. in Springfield. For additional information, please email 