Jack Gorin

In the 1860 census, before the abolition of slavery, Washington census takers didn’t even record the race of the white citizens.  The only citizens in the Washington 1860 census with a marking in the race column were non-whites, and there was only one: Jack Gorin, Washington’s first black resident.

Jack, nicknamed “Black Jack” by locals, came to Illinois with Sanford P. and Jane Gorin as a freed slave when they moved from Kentucky around 1840.  The Gorins originally settled just west of Eureka, near where Sam Leman Chevrolet now is. That area was untamed forest and timber then, and the Gorins moved to Washington after just a few years.  Jack was a large, imposing man; to the area's children, he was the first black man they had ever seen.  Initially, this sparked quite a bit of fear in them, but that soon waned when they saw that, according to one report, Jack was “a quiet, good-natured, industrious, and obliging fellow” (Woodford County Journal article, March 22, 1917).

One thing Jack loved to do was to accompany the local youth on their raccoon hunts.  On one evening hunt, Jack slung a club over his shoulder and climbed a large tree to get at a humongous raccoon the group thought they could see from the ground.  When he reached the branch, he noticed two raccoons huddled together.  Jack decided to have a little fun and whispered to the boys, “It’s a panther.”  Seconds later, the branch holding Jack and the raccoons came crashing to the ground.  When Jack rose, all the youth on the hunt disappeared completely at lightning speed except for one who had stumbled in the darkness.

Another anecdote involving Jack centers on a young farmhand about to be whipped by Sanford Gorin because of a problem with the horses in the barn.  Jack stepped in and told Sanford if he was going to whip the boy, he would have to whip him too.  Sanford began whipping the boy anyway, and Jack stepped in and, confronting his boss, forcefully stopped the beating from continuing. 

After Sanford Gorin died in 1858, Jack presumably took over the duties of the Gorin farm. At the local Christian Church, he also worked as a sexton (maintenance worker, grave digger, bellringer, etc.). In addition, Jack was often seen around town driving a wagon and transporting women and children to various places. He was, by all accounts, a beloved figure in Washington.

Jack passed away in October 1869 at the age of 52. He is buried in the Gorin family plot in the heart of Old City Cemetery, although there is no headstone for him.