From a distance, New Philadelphia looked like a typical Illinois pioneer town of the mid-1800s. But New Philadelphia was not a typical pioneer town. As travelers got closer, they would find a small but bustling community where Black and White villagers lived and worked side by side. For formerly enslaved Free Frank McWorter, the town meant new beginnings and an opportunity to free family members enslaved in Kentucky. New Philadelphia, which he founded in 1836, is the first U.S. town platted and registered by an African American.
Gerald McWorter and Kate Williams-McWorter’s presentation will tell the story of this unique central Illinois town from its inception to its recognition at the United States’ 424th National Park in December 2022.
Gerald McWorter is professor emeritus from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a founder of the field of Black Studies. His great-great-grandfather Frank McWorter was the first African American to found a town in the U.S., New Philadelphia in 1837, and with his wife Lucy freed 16 family members from slavery and helped countless others.
Kate Williams-McWorter is associate professor emerita from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and co-authored the book New Philadelphia with her husband Gerald.
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