'Utopian' city attracted first African-Americans to Lake County

African-Americans have been integral to Lake County's history since 1836 when Amos Bennett, the county's first African-American settler, arrived in Warren Township.

Like many westward settlers, Bennett was in search of better farmland and a new life. He also became known as "Dr. Bennett" for his healing skill with herbs and for saving the life of a neighbor who had been struck by lightning.

Other African-Americans followed in the coming decades, many taking jobs in factories in Waukegan and North Chicago. At the turn of the 20th century, one community in particular was attractive to these families: Zion.

Zion was founded by the charismatic preacher and faith healer John Alexander Dowie (1847-1907). Born in Scotland, Dowie came to this region in 1893 when he preached his message of "clean and faithful living" at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago.

He established the Christian Catholic Church and by 1899, his followers numbered in the thousands. After looking for a suitable location to build a "City of God," Dowie purchased 6,000 acres of farmland in Benton Township, and brought his followers to create a social utopia.

Although Dowie's leadership was criticized for its anti-democratic tendencies, he was ahead of his time when it came to social issues relating to the working class and minority groups.

He believed in an eight-hour work day at a time when 12- to 14-hour days were common, and allowed women to vote in local elections.

He also spoke out against lynching and racism, and encouraged interracial relationships.

It was Dowie's strongly enforced policy against racism that attracted African-Americans to settle in Zion.

Anyone found hostile to blacks, or, for that matter, breaking any of Dowie's rules, was expelled from the community.

In 1905, 200 of Zion's 10,000 residents were of African-American, South African or Caribbean heritage. Possibly the most influential of these African-American citizens was the town's dentist, Dr. James Brister (1858-1916).

Brister was born in Philadelphia and moved to Chicago after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania's dental school in 1881 as its first African-American graduate. In Chicago, he opened a practice, and joined Dowie's church, following Dowie to Zion about 1901.

Brister's dental practice was in the "Temple Cottage" on Sheridan Road, and his family lived on Ezekiel Avenue and later Enoch Street. He became a deacon in Dowie's church, and his wife, Anna, a deaconess testifying to their position within the community. Brister also played a leadership role as a member of the first Zion City Council.