New Philadelphia National Historic Site facts for kids
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New Philadelphia
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Overview from the interpretive site
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 Location in Illinois
Location in the United States
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| Location | Pike County, Illinois |
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| Nearest city | Barry |
| Area | 42 acres (17 ha) |
| Built | 1869 |
| NRHP reference No. | 05000869 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | August 11, 2005 |
| Designated NHL | January 16, 2009 |
The New Philadelphia National Historic Site is a special place in Illinois. It's where the town of New Philadelphia used to be. This site is found near the city of Barry in Pike County.
New Philadelphia was started in 1836 by Free Frank McWorter. He was an African American man who had been a slave. This town was the first in the United States to be planned and officially registered by an African American before the American Civil War.
Free Frank McWorter worked hard and saved money from his own business. He used this money to buy freedom for his wife. Then he bought his own freedom. Over time, he bought freedom for 13 more family members from Kentucky. He even sold land lots in New Philadelphia to help pay for their freedom.
The town of New Philadelphia was a place where both black and white people lived together. Around 1865, near the end of the Civil War, about 160 people lived there. But a few years later, a new railroad line was built. It went around the town instead of through it. This caused New Philadelphia to shrink and eventually disappear. Most of the town's land became farmland by the late 1800s.
The site of New Philadelphia was recognized for its importance. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. In 2009, it became a National Historic Landmark. Later, in 2013, it joined the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. Finally, in 2022, it was named a National Historic Site.
Contents
The Story of New Philadelphia
How the Town Began
Free Frank McWorter bought 160 acres of land in Pike County, Illinois, in 1830. He and his family moved there in 1831. McWorter wanted to create a town. He thought it would grow because of a planned canal in Illinois. In 1835, he bought another 80 acres from the government.
The original town plan had 144 lots. These were arranged in a 12x12 square. There were also 22 streets with names. McWorter officially registered his town with the government. He sold land lots to both black and white people.
Life in New Philadelphia
New Philadelphia was a special place because it was integrated. Black and white residents worked together in community groups. They even shared a public school. The only place that was separated was the cemetery, which was common back then.
Free Frank McWorter lived in New Philadelphia for the rest of his life. He made short trips back to Kentucky. These trips were to buy freedom for more of his family. Selling lots in New Philadelphia helped him pay for these freedom purchases.
The Underground Railroad Connection
McWorter passed away in 1854. Before the Civil War, New Philadelphia became a stop on the Underground Railroad. This was a secret network that helped enslaved people escape to freedom in Canada. People escaping from Missouri would sometimes swim across the Mississippi River to reach the town.
After slavery ended, more people moved to New Philadelphia. Its population grew to about 160 residents shortly after 1865.
Why the Town Disappeared
In 1869, the Hannibal and Naples Railroad was built. But it did not go through New Philadelphia. Instead, it bypassed the town to the north. A train station was built in nearby Barry. This meant that trade and travel moved to Barry.
New Philadelphia's population quickly dropped after that. Some residents stayed and farmed parts of the old town site. It was not unusual for small U.S. towns to disappear in the late 1800s. Especially if new transportation like railroads bypassed them.
In 1885, part of the town was officially closed down. It became farmland again. Studies show that people lived in the area until the 1920s. But by the late 1900s, almost nothing was left of New Philadelphia. Only small pieces of glass and pottery remained. You could also see traces of the old gravel streets.
Discovering the Past: Archaeology and Preservation
Digging Up History
In 2003, a three-year archaeological dig began at the site. It received a grant of US$226,500. Dr. Paul A. Shackel from the University of Maryland, College Park led the project. Scholars from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign also helped. By 2006, the team had explored 14 of the 144 original lots.
The town site was officially added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on August 11, 2005.
In 2008, Christopher C. Fennell from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign led another summer excavation. The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) even filmed the dig in June 2008. This footage was used in an episode of Time Team America.
Protecting the Site
On January 16, 2009, the New Philadelphia Town Site was named a National Historic Landmark. This was because of its important history and archaeological findings. In 2013, it was also added to the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.
In 2012, the National Park Service studied the site. They found that New Philadelphia had great historical value. However, most of the remains are buried underground. This made it tricky to open it as a regular park for visitors.
Despite this, a bill was passed in 2015. It asked the Department of Interior to study the site again. The goal was to see if it could become part of the National Park System.
Finally, in 2023, a law was passed to create the New Philadelphia National Historic Site. This new site covers about 124 acres. It will help protect and explore the area. It will also teach people about how black and white people worked together in Illinois.
