New Philadelphia was the first known town planned and legally registered by an African American before the Civil War. Frank McWorter, a formerly enslaved man from Kentucky, founded the town in 1836 and bought his freedom and the freedom of 15 family members. The rural community situated near the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers flourished at first, but later declined when the railroad bypassed the community in 1869. The community dissolved in 1885. By the 1940s, nothing of the town remained above ground. New Philadelphia disappeared as plows turned over the soil and buried any material remains left behind. Today, historical documents, oral histories from town descendants and community members, and artifacts keep the town's story alive.

Source: NPS Website (2022)

Establishment New Philadelphia National Historic Site — December 29, 2022

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The contents of brochures, site bulletins and trading cards (denoted with a colored caption) can be viewed by clicking on the cover. Most modern-day brochures, however, are cover only (denoted by a white caption) due to photograph copyrights. These items are historical in scope and are intended for educational purposes only; they are not meant as an aid for travel planning. The dates under each brochure do not reflect the complete range of years that a particular brochure was issued.

The Pursuit of Freedom on the Illinois Frontier 2023

On the Route to Freedom: The Underground Railroad and New Philadelphia 2023

2008 New Philadelphia Archaeology Report: Chapter 10 — 2008 Unit and Feature Summaries (Christopher Fennell, June 21, 2009)

Aerial Thermal Survey of New Philadelphia, Illinois Town Site, Update Report (Christopher C. Fennell, September 8, 2009)

An Investigation of New Philadelphia Using Thermal Infrared Remote Senssing (Bryan S. Haley, November 25, 2008)

Enabling Legislation (December 29, 2022)

Historical Archaeology (Vol. 44 Issue 1, 2010, ©The Society for Historical Archaeology)

Foreword: An Engaged Archaeology for Our Mutual Benefit: The Case of New Philadelphia (Anna S. Agbe-Davies)

Introduction: Remembering New Philadelphia (Paul A. Shackel)

New Philadelphia Pedestrian Survey: Phase I Investigations at an Historic Town Site (Joy Beasley and Tom Gwaltney)

Geophysical Detection of Features and Community Plan at New Philadelphia, Illinois (Michael L. Hargrave)

Identity and Collective Action in a Multi-Racial Community (Paul A. Shackel)

Agriculture and Regionalism at New Philadelphia (Claire Fuller Martin and Terrance J. Martin)

Courtly, Careful, Thrifty: Subsistence and Regional Origin at New Philadelphia (Terrance J. Martin and Claire Fuller Martin)

Voices of New Philadelphia: Memories and Stories of the People and Place (Carrie A. Christman)

Education and Gender in New Philadelphia (Emily Helton)

Separated by Death and Color: The African American Cemetery of New Philadelphia, Illinois (Charlotte King)

Damaging Detours: Routes, Racism, and New Philadelphia (Christopher C. Fennell)

Comment: Conditions of Subject and Object (Abdul Alkalimat (Gerald McWorter))

Land Deed Records, New Philadelphia (Date Unknown)

National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form

New Philadelphia Town Site (Michelle Huttes, November 28, 2004)

New Philadelphia Archaeology: The First Ten Years (Terrance J. Martin, Claire Fuller Martin, Christopher Fennell, Anna Agbe-Davies and Paul A. Shackel, extract from The Living Museum, Vol. 73 No. 4, Fall 2011-Winter 2012)

New Philadelphia Archaeology Project Archaeology Reports (August 20, 2013)

New Philadelphia Project Pedestrian Survey: Final Report and Catalog, Phase 1 Archeology at the Historic Townsite of New Philadelphia, Illinois (Tom Gwaltney, June 2004)

Public Scoping Report: New Philadelphia Townsite (2016)

Reconnaissance Survey: New Philadelphia Townsite, Barry, Illinois (January 2012)

Report on Shovel Test Pit Surveys at the New Philadelphia Archeology Site, Pike County, Illinois (11PK455), Summer 2005 (Christopher Fennell, July 18, 2006)

Special Resource Study Newsletter: The New Philadelphia Townsite (April 2016)

The following visual bibliography is just a sampling of the handbooks and books which have been published for this park. NPSHistory.com does not endorse these, but are merely presenting them for informational purposes only. As most are copyrighted, we are only able to provide the covers, and not contents, of these publications.

cover only New Philadelphia Gerald A. McWorter 2018

cover only New Philadelphia: An Archaeology of Race in the Heartland Paul Shackel 2010