The Village of Brooklyn, Illinois, plays a critical role in American history. Brooklyn is not only America's oldest Black town, founded decades before the Civil War, but it is one of only a few that have persisted until today. Known as the Mother of Brooklyn, Priscilla Baltimore was born into slavery in Kentucky in 1801. Her father sold her when she was 10 years old. Bought by a Methodist missionary, she was allowed to buy not only her own freedom but also the freedom of her mother and her husband. A Methodist preacher, she later led 11 families across the Mississippi River from St. Louis and founded Freedom Village (now known as Brooklyn, Illinois). It continues to be the oldest Black incorporated town in America.