- Henry Hawkins Sr. was my maternal grandmother's grandfather.

- [Ruth] In Brooklyn, Illinois, the Hawkins family goes back a long way.

- His son, Henry Hawkins Jr., is buried here and along with several of their children.

- [Ruth] And this is Prince Wells III, Brooklyn native, Hawkins descendant, and family genealogist.

He's the keeper of precious home movies taken in his hometown during the mid 20th century.

Here's young Wells out and about with his father.

Brooklyn was among America's first predominantly African American communities to incorporate.

That took place in 1873.

Wells, who lives in St. Louis, has fond memories of growing up in that Metro East Village.

- You had to have been there to understand what I'm talking about, but other people say this too.

It's not just my opinion.

There are lots of people in my age group, they'll tell you it was a wonderful place to grow up.

We had everything that you could need.

It was a little self-sufficient town, with a pharmacy, doctor's office, two grocery stores and dry cleaners and gas stations.

Everything was there.

So it was great.

- [Ruth] A plaque in Brooklyn's Civic Center lists the Board of Managers when the facility was built in 1952.

Prince Wells Sr., paternal grandfather of Prince Wells III, was clerk.

Trustee, Andrew Bradley, was Wells's maternal great-grandfather.

- I lived across the street from the fire chief.

I had a couple of cousins who were the police chiefs at one time.

- Brooklyn's story revolves around Priscilla Baltimore.

- [Ruth] On the Nine PBS podcast, "Listen St. Louis with Carol Daniel," Cicely Hunter of the Missouri History Museum talked about the history of Brooklyn and about the formerly enslaved woman considered the community's founder.

Priscilla Baltimore was an abolitionist who assisted the newly emancipated and escapees from bondage.

- In 1829, you have 11 families who come from St. Louis and they journey to Illinois as Priscilla Baltimore and her husband, John Tobias Baltimore, become their leaders.

Essentially, that's what happens.

- Brooklyn's population today is less than a third of its mid-century numbers.

In a community that once served as a stop on the underground railroad, well-maintained homes might sit within a stone's throw of structures that are beyond repair.

And Brooklyn's primary sources of tax revenue are a couple of night spots that feature adult entertainment.

It appears a combination of factors contributed to the village's current state.

Industries that had a major presence in communities surrounding Brooklyn closed their factories, leading to job losses in the region.

At around the same time, railroad companies were buying up property, significantly reducing Brooklyn's residential land mass.

The people fighting not just for Brooklyn's survival, but its resurgence, have their hopes pinned on an ambitious proposal that will require the backing of the state of Illinois.

Vera Glasper-Banks is Brooklyn's outgoing Mayor.

- That's a proposal that we have on Governor JB Pritzker's desk as we speak.

We are trying to take waste and make it renewable energy.

What is it called?

A trash to cash facility.

And also a solar farm to supply energy to a database that we'd like to have over there for AI or you know, so we are trying to be a hub to take sustainable, renewable, economic-driven energy, a project to Brooklyn, to save Brooklyn and maybe all of the state of Illinois.

- [Ruth] And it would provide jobs.

- Provide at least 500 jobs, training.

It's a good thing.

Hopefully the governor will see things my way.

- [Ruth] Glasper-Banks had a 40 year career with Boeing in Seattle, Washington before moving back to Brooklyn in the year 2000 to care for her mother.

The Glaspers have deep roots here.

How far back do you go?

- [Vera] My family showed up in the census, the 1930 census.

My grandfather came with a traveling carnival, found out Brooklyn was an all Black town that was incorporated.

Went back to the south, told my father and uncle about it.

The whole family came and we've been there ever since.

- [Ruth] And you'll find her father's name on the cornerstone of a village facility because he too once served his community.

Sounds like you want to give back to Brooklyn.

- Yes.

Yeah, we deserve it.