audiobook A History of the Ninth Regiment: Illinois Volunteer Infantry; with the Regimental Roster (Shawnee Classics) by Marion Morrison in History

Description

With a population of about two thousand; Pembroke Township; one of the largest rural; black communities north of the Mason-Dixon Line; sits in an isolated corner of Kankakee County; Illinois; sixty-five miles south of Chicago. It is also one of the poorest places in the nation. Many black farmers from the South came to this area during the Great Migration; finding Chicago to be overcrowded and inhospitable; they were able to buy land in the township at low prices. The poor soil made it nearly impossible to establish profitable farms; however; and economic prosperity has eluded the region ever since. Pembroke: A Rural; Black Community on the Illinois Dunes chronicles the history of this inimitable township and shows the author’s personal transformation through his experiences with Pembroke and its people. A native of nearby Kankakee; author Dave Baron first traveled to Pembroke on a church service trip at age fifteen and saw real poverty firsthand; but he also discovered a community possessing grace and purpose. Baron begins each chapter with a personal narrative from his initial trip to Pembroke. He covers the early history of the area; explaining how the unique black oak savanna ecosystem was created and describing early residents; including Potawatomi tribes and white fur traders. He introduces readers to Pap and Mary Tetter; Pembroke’s first black residents; who—according to local lore—assisted fugitives on the Underground Railroad; details the town’s wild years; when taverns offered liquor; drugs; and prostitution; discusses the many churches of Pembroke and the nearby high school where; in spite of sometimes strained relations; Pembroke’s black students have learned alongside white students of a neighboring community since well before Brown v. Board of Education; outlines efforts by conservation groups to preserve Pembroke’s rare black oak savannas; and analyzes obstacles to and failed attempts at economic development in Pembroke; as well as recent efforts; including organic farms and a sustainable living movement; which may yet bring some prosperity. Based on research; interviews with residents; and the author’s own experiences during many return trips to Pembroke; this book—part social; cultural; legal; environmental; and political history and part memoir—profiles a number of the colorful; longtime residents and considers what has enabled Pembroke to survive despite a lack of economic opportunities. Although Pembroke has a reputation for violence and vice; Baron reveals a township with a rich and varied history and a vibrant culture.