Free Frank McWorter facts for kids

Free Frank McWorter (born 1777 – died September 7, 1854) was an American man who was born into slavery. He worked hard to buy his own freedom. In 1836, he founded the town of New Philadelphia in Illinois. This made him the first African American person to start a planned town in the United States.

The New Philadelphia Town Site is a very important historical place. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. Later, in 2009, it was named a National Historic Landmark.

In recent years, a local history group asked archaeologists to study the old town site. Teams from the University of Maryland, College Park, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and De Paul University have worked there for many years. They have found thousands of old items. They also looked at old records like census and land documents to learn about the people who lived there. These teams have also taught students and published many reports and books about McWorter, his family, and his town.

In 2008, McWorter's family members gave 11 books of historical documents to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library. They also donated a bronze statue of Frank McWorter. This statue was made by his great-great-granddaughter, Shirley McWorter Moss.

Frank McWorter's Early Life

Frank McWorter was born in 1777. He was born into slavery in South Carolina. His mother, Juda, was born in West Africa. She was taken from her home and brought to America as an enslaved person. Frank's father was likely George McWhorter, a white plantation owner who enslaved Juda. Family stories say that Juda had to convince McWhorter to let their mixed-race son live.

In 1795, McWhorter moved to Pulaski County, Kentucky. He took Frank with him to help build and manage his farms there. Frank worked on the farm. He was also hired out to work for neighbors. This meant his enslaver rented him out to other people for work. From these jobs, Frank learned important business skills. He also earned more money than his enslaver required him to give up. Even after McWhorter moved to Tennessee, Frank continued to manage his farm in Kentucky. Frank used his saved money to start a business making saltpeter. Saltpeter was a chemical used to make gunpowder, and it was in high demand during the War of 1812.

Marriage and Family Freedom

In 1799, Frank married Lucy. She was also an enslaved African American woman who lived on a nearby farm. They had 13 children who were born into slavery. Only four of them – Juda, Frank, Sally, and Solomon – lived to adulthood.

By 1817, Frank had saved enough money to buy Lucy's freedom from her enslaver. He paid $800 for her. At that time, she was pregnant with their son, Squire. Because Lucy was free, Squire was born a free person. Two years later, in 1819, Frank bought his own freedom for the same price. After this, he called himself "Free Frank." This name showed everyone that he was legally free. It was important because free Black people could sometimes be kidnapped and forced back into slavery.

In 1829, Free Frank traded his saltpeter business to buy the freedom of his son, Frank. His son had run away to Canada to escape slavery. This trade allowed his son to come back to the United States as a free man. By this time, Free Frank and Lucy also had three more children who were born free: Squire, Commodore, and Lucy Ann.

Founding New Philadelphia

In 1830, Frank, Lucy, and their four free children moved to Pike County, Illinois. They started farming there the next year. In 1836, Frank officially created the village of New Philadelphia. He had bought 80 acres of land from the government for $100. The town was divided into 144 lots and registered with the government in 1836.

McWorter and his family lived in New Philadelphia. He sold other lots to new residents. Both Black and white people settled in the town. They even had a school where children of all races learned together. New Philadelphia was a farming community. When it was founded, people hoped it would be on the route of a planned canal, but that canal was never built.

In 1837, Free Frank asked the Illinois government to officially change his last name to McWorter. This was important because it gave him certain rights that were usually only for white men in Illinois. For example, he could take people to court. He could also legally marry his wife, Lucy, even though they had been together for over 40 years. However, he still could not vote.

McWorter was the first Black man in the United States to officially start a town. He served as the mayor of New Philadelphia for many years.

Frank McWorter lived most of his life in western Illinois. He sometimes traveled back to Kentucky before the American Civil War. He did this to buy the freedom of his three grown children and grandchildren who were still enslaved there. For example, in 1835, he bought his son Solomon's freedom. Each time he traveled, he risked being captured by dishonest slave traders, even though he was legally free.

McWorter died on September 7, 1854. By that time, he had bought the freedom of eight more of his relatives. Through his hard work, he helped 16 members of his family become free. After he died, his family used the money he left behind to free seven more relatives.

New Philadelphia's Decline

In 1869, the first railroad was built through Pike County. However, it did not go through New Philadelphia. Instead, it went north to a town called Baylis, which got a train station. Because of this, businesses moved to Baylis for better access to the railroad. The number of people living in New Philadelphia quickly went down. By the late 1800s, some of the town's land was turned back into farmland. However, some areas were still lived in until the 1920s.

Legacy of Frank McWorter

• McWorter's gravesite, which is located near Barry, Illinois, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
• A part of the I-72 highway in Pike County is named the Frank McWorter Memorial Highway.
• The New Philadelphia Town Site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. It was then named a National Historic Landmark in 2009.