Historical Society of Brooklyn, Illinois

Preserving the Past Securing the Future

The Historical Society of Brooklyn, Illinois, Inc. (HSOBI), is a non-profit organization. Our address is 2350 Madison Ave., P.O. Box 1572, Granite City, IL 62040. Contact us at 281-442-0003 (Roberta Thomson Foster) or 314-376-1594 (Ronnie Steele Sr.).

Your donations are tax deductible. Please follow this link to make a contribution online through our Paypal account (thsobi62059@PayPal), and many thanks for your support!
Learn more:

Brooklyn Legends // Mission // Our Story // HSOBI on Facebook // Past Events

The focus of our work is to collect, preserve and present the historical record and cultural heritage of the first inhabitants, founding families, and early settlers of Brooklyn, Illinois, through interpretive exhibits, and to promote awareness of Brooklyn, Illinois and encourage the association of people with a common interest in our history. It is our goal to have the town of Brooklyn and its historic sites receive designation on the National Registry of Historic Places and to ready our historic sites for heritage engagement and cultural tourism. We must preserve our past with a vision to secure our future.

High school students participate in a restoration workshop in the Brooklyn cemetery. Preservation and restoration efforts have been undertaken collaboratively by the HSOBI, Illinois State Archaeological Survey (ISAS), and Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Photograph courtesy of ISAS, University of Illinois.

Executive Board Members:
Roberta Thompson Foster - Executive Director
Robert White III - President
Magnolia Mason Johnson - Vice President
Ronnie Steele Sr. - Treasurer
Sandra Brooks-Bradley - Secretary
Hakeem Abdul-Rasheed - Director of Special Committees and Planning.

Membership:
General Membership $60 annually. Benefits include:
A. 2 admission passes to Mother Priscilla Baltimore's Memorial Walkway (includes parking)
B. Fragrance Gift Set
C. HSOBI cap

Benefactors Membership $1,000. Benefits include:
A. 4 entrance passes (including parking) for 4 years
B. 4 Memorial Bricks to be installed at Mother Priscilla Baltimore's Memorial Walkway
C. Name included on Sponsor and Private Benefactors plaque to be installed at Mother Priscilla Baltimore's Memorial Walkway
D. 2 Fragrance Gift Packages
E. 2 HSOBI caps

Current Projects:
A private benefactor has purchased 21 parcel lots in the Village of Brooklyn that will be deeded to HSOBI to develop and install Green Spaces displaying our history and heritage.

Mother Priscilla Baltimore's Memorial Walkway: The Green Spaces located at 127 and 129 North 3rd St, will be the home of Brooklyn's Historic Monument. Plaques and monuments honoring our Founding Families and Freedom Fighters, murals depicting Brooklyn Legends and Freedom Fighters navigating the Mississippi River, leading the enslaved persons escaping Missouri to the free banks of Illinois, and bricks and benches memoralizing former Brooklyn citizens who have transitioned from this life will be included. The parcel lots located at 110, 112, 114 North 3rd Street will be converted to provide parking for the Memorial Walkway.

Links:
Brooklyn Legends & Alumni

Student Mentoring Program

Community Service Program

Illinois State Archaeological Survey

University of Illinois Research