William "Tutty" Baker (1793-1855), was an American pioneer credited as the founder of Freeport, Illinois. Originating from the southern United States, he claimed the land which would become Freeport, then occupied by the Ho-Chunk tribe, in 1827, though he did not immediately build a homestead. [1] He received the nickname "Tutty" from the tribe, which he was on good terms with, on account of his stutter. He 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. [2] According to one story, Freeport earned its name after Baker's wife, Elizabeth Phoebe 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. [3]
A monument to him was erected in Freeport by the Daughters of the American Revolution. [4]
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