Theodore Roosevelt Presidential LibraryPublic Lands Directory

Alerts and conditions

All clear. The managing agency, the National Weather Service and wildfire reporting show no current alerts.

Overview

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.

From the National Park Service

History

The designation history for this site (every law, proclamation and order, and the administration behind each) is being researched and checked by the Library’s historians.

What to see and do

Activities

  • Guided Tours

Browse hiking, biking and paddling routes on AllTrails

Plan your visit

Hours

Operating Hours: The site is open to the public with no scheduled operating hours.

Getting there

New Philadelphia National Historic Site is in rural western Illinois between the Mississippi and Illinois rivers near Interstate 72. The site can be reached by turning onto 306th Lane from County Highway 2. An informational kiosk is immediately on the left after turning onto 306th Lane. The small city of Barry lies two miles west and has the nearest services. Hannibal, Missouri, is 27 miles west. Springfield, Illinois, is 76 miles east. St. Louis lies about 115 miles south.

Weather

Temperatures at our site can range from 0°F (-18°C) in the winter to 95°F (35°C) or warmer in the summer. Summers can be very humid, with intense sun, rainstorms, thunderstorms possible. Snow and occasional blizzard conditions are possible in the winter. Please dress appropriately for potential weather conditions and plan ahead.

Phone: 217-492-4241

Whose lands these are

These lands are the ancestral and present-day homelands of Native nations. A section on whose lands these are is being prepared with tribal review. In the meantime, Native Land Digital offers a starting point.

Photos

Four interpretive panels mounted under a covered, open-sided kiosk overlooking a prairie landscape.
Kiosk · NPS Photo
A mowed path through prairie. There are numbered signs along the trail.
Walking Tour · NPS
Twenty children of mixed ages and genders posing for the camera in front of a schoolhouse.
Schoolchildren · Courtesy of Gerald McWorter and Kate Williams McWorter.
Historic black and white photo of an African American woman seated looking past the camera.
Lucy McWorter · Courtesy of Pamela and Sheena Franklin

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