New Philadelphia Town Site
National Historic Landmark

New Philadelphia Town Site

Barry, Pike County, Illinois
Listed
August 10, 2005
Type
Site
Period
Colonial
Ref No.
05000869

About this property

The New Philadelphia National Historic Site is the original site of the now-vanished town of New Philadelphia, Illinois, in the United States. It is located near the western Illinois city of Barry, in Pike County. Founded in 1836, New Philadelphia was the first town in the United States platted and registered by an African American before the American Civil War. The founder, Free Frank McWorter (1777–1854), was a former slave who was able to save money from work and his own business to purchase the freedom of his wife, then himself, and over time, 13 members of his family from Kentucky. Several of his freedom purchases were funded by the sale of New Philadelphia lots. The town was integrated and reached a population of about 160 near the close of the Civil War in 1865. A few years later, the town was bypassed by the railroad line leading to its eventual decline; the town lots were generally turned into farmland in the late 19th century, although some survived into the 1920s. The town site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005, and designated a National Historic Landmark in 2009. In 2013, the site was added to the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. It was designated a National Historic Site in 2022.

Location

Barry, Pike County, Illinois

Categories

HISTORIC - NON-ABORIGINALBLACKEUROPEANEXPLORATION/SETTLEMENT
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Everything a full report reveals about New Philadelphia Town Site

This page lists New Philadelphia Town Site. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
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Questions about this property

When was New Philadelphia Town Site listed on the National Register?

New Philadelphia Town Site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 10, 2005.

What type of historic resource is New Philadelphia Town Site?

New Philadelphia Town Site is classified as a site in the National Register of Historic Places.

Is New Philadelphia Town Site a National Historic Landmark?

Yes. New Philadelphia Town Site has been designated a National Historic Landmark (NHL), the highest level of federal recognition for historic properties in the United States.

What is the period of significance for New Philadelphia Town Site?

The period of significance for New Philadelphia Town Site is recorded as the colonial era, specifically around 1777.

Can I research the history near New Philadelphia Town Site?

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