Historical Background

The story of New Philadelphia began with the vision of one brave and enterprising man: Frank McWorter. Born into slavery, "Free Frank" bought freedom for his family, beginning with his wife Lucy in 1817. In 1830, Frank, Lucy, and four of their children left Kentucky and made the long and dangerous journey to begin a new life among the rolling green hills of Illinois.

By 1836, Frank plotted the town of New Philadelphia and began to sell off lots in what would become the first town in the United States founded and planned in advance by black man. Frank sold lots to both white and black settlers, resulting in a racially integrated community decades before the Civil War. With the money raised from New Philadelphia, Frank would eventually buy the freedom of more than a dozen family members.

Situated between the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers, New Philadelphia is thought to have been a stopping point for African Americans fleeing north along the 'underground railroad.' Just miles from active pro-slavery towns, the unique community of New Philadelphia offered safety and economic opportunity to all of its residents.

Frank died in 1854, but the community continued to thrive until the 1880s. The local economy began to decline after New Philadelphia was bypassed by the railroad and residents began to move away in search of work and better access to regional markets for their agricultural products. Only a few households remained in New Philadelphia into the twentieth century.

Today the site where New Philadelphia once proudly stood is covered by lush wheat and grass fields. Historians and archaeologists recognized that a national treasure was sitting beneath the bucolic landscape, and in 2002 archaeological work began on New Philadelphia. Researchers discovered it was a rich and complex site that could offer invaluable data about African Americans on the American frontier.