New Philadelphia National Historic Site
Town lots, roads, archaeology, and family records preserve the Illinois community founded in 1836 by Free Frank McWorter, a formerly enslaved landowner.
Artwork inspired by Walter Ellison
Free Frank McWorter purchased freedom for himself and family members, acquired Illinois land, and formally platted New Philadelphia in 1836—the first known U.S. town legally founded by an African American. Census, deed, tax, and archaeological evidence reconstruct a multiracial rural community of households, businesses, farms, kinship, and continuing efforts to buy relatives from slavery.
Few buildings remain above ground, so this is a site for disciplined imagination rather than architectural sightseeing. Use the plat and waysides to place lots, roads, and households, then notice how the railroad bypassed the town and altered its prospects. Descendant research is central; the landscape’s apparent emptiness is precisely why records and archaeology matter.
- Platted
- 1836
- Founder
- Free Frank McWorter
- Experience
- Landscape + archaeology
Quick guide
- Begin with the plat
- Match the street grid and lots to the present field before following individual biographies.
- Follow the family strategy
- Track how land sales and farming helped purchase relatives’ freedom across decades.
How to make New Philadelphia National Historic Site count
- Begin with the plat
- Match the street grid and lots to the present field before following individual biographies.
- Follow the family strategy
- Track how land sales and farming helped purchase relatives’ freedom across decades.
- Read below the surface
- Use artifact and foundation evidence to recover homes, work, consumption, and community ties.
- Notice the bypass
- Locate the railroad alignment and consider how infrastructure decisions redirect opportunity.
Good to know
The grounds, information kiosk, and quarter-mile walking trail are open 24 hours a day, year-round. There are no indoor visitor facilities, restrooms, or regularly stationed rangers. Use the signed gravel parking area off 306th Lane. The rural approach can be muddy after rain, and large vehicles should follow NPS directions rather than informal map shortcuts.
Notice these
- Original town plat
- McWorter family history
- Archaeological house sites