On County Route 2 at 306th Lane/Broad Street (County Route 2159E), on the right when traveling east on County Route 2.
[Historical] Map of Philadelphia
The Archaeological Conservancy, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserve our
nation's most important archaeological sites,
owns 9.14 acres of the historic town site.
Under the stewardship of The . . . — — Map (db m302134) HM
On 306th Lane/Broad Street (County Road 2159E) near County Road 2, on the left when traveling south.
A blacksmith's shop operated near the blacktop road until 1915. Many farmers, including Frank McWorter, had some blacksmithing tools and skills, but they also relied on professional smiths to make and repair iron objects for use on the farm and . . . — — Map (db m302354) HM
On County Road 2 at 306th Lane/Broad Street (Road 2159E), on the right when traveling east on County Road 2.
Two Burdick families lived in New Philadelphia. The Spaulding Burdick family was one of the first to live within the town limits.
Descendants of the Abel R. Burdick family built the last house in New Philadelphia. Spaulding and Abel were . . . — — Map (db m302491) HM
On Bainbridge Street south of Main Street, on the right when traveling north.
To the Union soldiers
War of the Rebellion
1861-1865
(north side)
Members of John McTucker Post 154 G.A.R. Dept. of ILL.
N.R. Taggart 3 Mo. Cav. Isri Smith 32 Ill. Inf. Seth Grammer 78 Ill. Inf. P. Dickson 30 Ind. Inf. . . . — — Map (db m152175) WM
On 306th Lane/Broad Street (County Road 2159E) south of County Road 2, on the left when traveling south.
We have returned to the "front door" of New Philadelphia. David A. Kittle, an Ohio native, operated a store here in 1850. We know that Chester Churchill, the founder of Kinderhook, was licensed to sell goods in New Philadelphia in the 1830s and . . . — — Map (db m302351) HM
On County Road 2 at 306th Lane/Broad Street (County Road 2159E), on the right when traveling east on County Road 2.
Free Frank McWorter was born in slavery in South Carolina in 1777. His owner took him to Kentucky,
where he met his wife Lucy, enslaved on a
neighboring farm. With the permission of his
owner, Frank worked for wages. He . . . — — Map (db m302476) HM
Near 306th Lane/Broad Street (County Route 2159E) south of County Route 2, on the left when traveling south.
Free Frank and Free Lucy came to Illinois in 1830, bringing with them four of their seven children. Their son Solomon and eldest daughters, Juda and Sarah, remained in bondage in Kentucky. Solomon's freedom was purchased in 1835. Free Frank . . . — — Map (db m302307) HM
On 306th Lane/Broad Street (County Road 2159E) south of County Road 2, on the left when traveling south.
As you rejoin the outbound path, look across the blacktop to the place where Free Frank McWorter's house stood. Most of what you see to the north of town belonged to the McWorter family well into the 20th century. Born in slavery in South . . . — — Map (db m302410) HM
On 306th Lane/Broad Street (County Road 2159E) south of County Road 2, on the left when traveling south.
Beyond Frank McWorter's farm, the railroad runs diagonally across the township. When the railroad was built in 1869 it did not stop in New Philadelphia, but rather in Hadley Station, less than three-quarters of a mile to the northwest. Some . . . — — Map (db m302365) HM
On County Road 2 at 306th Lane/Broad Street (County Road 2159E), on the right when traveling east on County Road 2.
As an unincorporated town, New
Philadelphia residents were counted as part
of Hadley Township by the U.S. Census
takers. By comparing the census schedules
to property tax records and family histories,
we are able to estimate that the number . . . — — Map (db m302489) HM
On 306th Lane/Broad Street (County Road 2159E) near County Road 2, on the left.
James Washington was born an enslaved person in Lincoln County, Missouri. Before 1890 he brought his family to New Philadelphia to obtain a better education for his four children. He married Mary McWorter and farmed very successfully nearby. His . . . — — Map (db m302415) HM
On 306th Lane/Broad Street (County Road 2159E) south of County Route 2, on the left when traveling south.
John Bixler was an early resident. While living in Kentucky in 1824, Bixler freed his slave, Kezia Clark, and her one-year-old daughter, Louisa. Bixler and Clark left Kentucky, settling in Indiana, Illinois and Missouri, before coming to New . . . — — Map (db m302364) HM
On 306th Lane/Broad Street (County Road 2159E) south of County Road 2, on the left when traveling south.
These benches are placed here for your peace and reflection by the friends of LeMoyne Washington, a grandson of James Washington. LeMoyne was born nearby and spent his life except for his time attending college at Macomb, in this and the Barry . . . — — Map (db m302457) HM
On 306th Lane/Broad Street (County Road 2159E) south of County Road 2, on the left when traveling south.
Martin and George Kimbro bought the old schoolhouse, and researchers speculate they moved it across the road to Block 9, the only property they ever owned. Originally named Martin Van Buren and George Washington, the brothers were born in . . . — — Map (db m302467) HM
On County Road 2 at 306th Lane/Broad Street (County Road 2159E), on the right when traveling east on County Road 2.
Surveyed and filed on September 16, 1836, New Philadelphia was the first town in the United States founded by an African American.
[Inset plat map reads]
Map of "Philadelphia" from the 1872 Atlas Map of Pike County, Illinois. . . . — — Map (db m302480) HM
On County Road 2 at 306th Lane/Broad Street (County Road 2159E), on the right when traveling east on County Road 2.
Frank McWorter and his family worked all of their lives to gain freedom and abolish slavery. McWorter purchased freedom for his wife in 1817 and himself in 1819. He traded his saltpeter operation in 1829 so that son Young Frank could return a . . . — — Map (db m302485) HM
On County Road 2 at 306th Lane/Broad Street (County Road 2159E), on the right when traveling east on County Road 2.
New Philadelphia Soldiers
Soldiers known to have lived in the town of New Philadelphia:
William H. Austin. Co. K, 16th U.S. Infantry.
Clark P. Beebe. Co. K, 99th Illinois Infantry. Killed in service.
Harrison Brown. Co. K, . . . — — Map (db m302487) HM
On 306th Lane/Broad Street (County Road 2159E) south of County Road 2, on the left when traveling south.
Before turning onto Ann Street, take a moment to survey the rolling landscape. Most of the blocks before you were never developed; possibly they were too low and swampy. To the southeast, across the fields and nestled in the woods, is the . . . — — Map (db m302414) HM
On 306th Lane/Broad Street (County Road 2159E) south of County Road 2, on the left when traveling south.
You are in the approximate center of Block 8. This was the hub of the community in the mid-19th century. Rev. Luce lived here and kept the post office. The school house that Rev. Luce and Free Frank built served the town until 1874, when a new . . . — — Map (db m302411) HM
On County Road 2 at 306th Lane/Broad Street (County Road 2159E), on the right when traveling east on County Road 2.
The New Philadelphia community was racially and ethnically integrated. Americans of both African and European descent came from Kentucky, Virginia, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Delaware, New York, and the New England states.
[Inset township . . . — — Map (db m302477) HM
On County Road 2 at 306th Lane/Broad Street (County Road 2159E), on the right when traveling east on County Road 2.
The National Park Service has determined that the New Philadelphia town site has made a significant contribution to the understanding of the Underground Railroad in American history and therefore meets the requirements for inclusion in
The . . . — — Map (db m302493) HM
On 2000N at Broad Street (Illinois Highway 106), on the right when traveling east on 2000N.
New Philadelphia
Townsite
has been designated a
National Historic Landmark
Founded in 1836 by Frank McWorter, New Philadelphia is the first known town planned and legally registered by an African American in the United States. . . . — — Map (db m134869) HM
On 306th Lane/Broad Street (County Road 2159E) south of County Road 2, on the left when traveling south.
These three buildings are not original to New Philadelphia. However, they stood in Pike County in the same era and they have interesting histories. Rescued by the landowner and placed over surviving New Philadelphia foundations, they protect the . . . — — Map (db m302472) HM
On 306th Lane/Broad Street (County Road 2159E) south of County Road 2, on the left when traveling south.
Settlement of New Philadelphia accelerated in the late 1840s. One promising new settler was Rev. Christopher Sanborn Luce. Like Spaulding Burdick, Luce was a Yankee shoemaker, but he was also a Free Will Baptist preacher and taught school. Free . . . — — Map (db m302366) HM
On Township Road 2000N 2.5 miles east of Township Road 2000N (Illinois Highway 106), on the right when traveling east. Reported permanently removed.
The town consisted of 144 lots laid out by a black man FREE FRANK MCWORTER. In 1819 he bought his freedom from slavery, and eventually freedom for 16 family members for $14,000. He was the first settler (1829) in Hadley Township. Free Frank was . . . — — Map (db m134870) HM
On 306th Lane/Broad Street (County Road 2159E) south of County Road 2, on the left when traveling south.
You are standing in the oldest part of the town. To the west was the home and workshop of Spaulding Burdick. One of the first residents, he was a shoemaker from Rhode Island, who lived here with his second wife, Ann Hadsell, and their children. . . . — — Map (db m302323) HM
On 306th Lane/Broad Street (County Road 2159E) south of County Road 2, on the left when traveling south.
You are facing Main Street and looking south towards Block 13 where Louisa Clark McWorter's house stood. The daughter of Kezia Clark, Louisa married Free Frank McWorter's son Squire in 1843. Louisa and Squire built this house about 1847 and . . . — — Map (db m302413) HM
On 306th Lane/Broad Street (County Road 2159E) south of County Road 2, on the left when traveling south.
Visitors are invited to take the self-guided tour with or without a mobile device by following the numbered signs along the path. Those with mobile devices are welcome to download the free app tour New Phil AR for iOS and Android at . . . — — Map (db m302475)
