Agnostik
National Historic Site · IL

New Philadelphia National Historic Site

To a casual observer, New Philadelphia looked like a typical Illinois pioneer town. But a closer look revealed a unique and racially diverse community. New Philadelphia was the first US town platted and registered by an African American. A formerly enslaved man, Free Frank McWorter, founded New Philadelphia in 1836 and purchased freedom for himself and 15 family members.

nps.gov ↗

Photos

A grassy field surrounded by forest under a sunny sky with large white clouds.
View of New Philadelphia National Historic Site on a sunny day.
Four interpretive panels mounted under a covered, open-sided kiosk overlooking a prairie landscape.
A kiosk houses several informational panels at New Philadelphia National Historic Site.
A mowed path through prairie. There are numbered signs along the trail.
Visitors can take a self-guided ¼-mile-long walking tour of the site using an augmented virtual reality app managed by the New Philadelphia Association. The app is available to download for electronic handheld devices, cost-free, at the kiosk.
Twenty children of mixed ages and genders posing for the camera in front of a schoolhouse.
Schoolchildren at the New Philadelphia School, October 1925.
Historic black and white photo of an African American woman seated looking past the camera.
Lucy McWorter, Free Frank McWorter’s wife, 1800s.

Activities

  • Guided Tours