National Historic Sites · Illinois
New Philadelphia National Historic Site
National Park Service source material · single source. Source dates and reuse information are available beside each field.
Check the official park website for current access, conditions and visitor information.
Introduction
Background: 1
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.
Geography
History and culture
History & Culture: 4
Courtesy Chris Fennell, Professor of Anthropology and Law, University of Illinois
Places to explore
Things To Do: 5
You can take a self-guided ¼-mile-long walking tour of the site using an augmented virtual reality app managed by the New Philadelphia Association. The app is available to download for electronic handheld devices, cost-free, at the kiosk. Wi-Fi access is available. NPS photo. Whether you have just a few minutes or half a day's worth of free time, there are many activities offered on a daily basis at New Philadelphia National Historic Site. Most visitors who participate in the two main activities (Information Kiosk and Augmented Reality Tour) should expect to spend about 60 minutes at the site.
Services and facilities are limited on site. Please plan ahead and be prepared for: No restrooms. No indoor facilities. Passport Stamps are not available on site. For more trip planning information, and where to get Passport Stamps, go to the Plan Your Visit page .
Feel free to call us between 9 am and 5 pm central time at 1-217-492-4241. This will direct your call to the Lincoln Home National Historic Site visitor center. Lincoln Home NHS staff will be able to assist you.
For Kids and Families As a new national park unit, New Philadelphia does not yet have its own Junior Ranger program. In the meantime, the National Park Service has other Junior Ranger programs that you might like. Follow the links below to learn more. You can do these activities at home or print them out and bring them with you to the site.
Cover page for the Network to Freedom Junior Ranger Booklet. Cover art by Sonja Griffin Evans. NPS photo. Discovering the Underground Railroad Junior Ranger Activity Book Frank and Lucy McWorter’s commitment to freedom did not stop with their own family. New Philadelphians helped freedom seekers on the Underground Railroad, too. Today, New Philadelphia is a member of the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.
Anyone can explore this legacy by completing Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Junior Ranger activities! Click on the photo of the booklet cover for directions and to download the book.
Planning to visit? Start here! Check out helpful information to plan your visit and know what to expect at this new national park.
Find out where you can collect stamps for New Philadelphia National Historic Site, including hours and addresses.
217-492-4241 This will direct your call to the Lincoln Home National Historic Site visitor center. Lincoln Home NHS staff will be able to assist you.
Visitor information
Sources & field notes
Source records (8)
Select a numbered reference to open a source card. Retrieval dates describe this edition’s source capture, rather than an independent verification or the date of the underlying information.
Background · Official park structured information. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-supplied text; NPS-authored government work generally public domain, subject to third-party rights.
Designation · National Park System directory. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- Factual reference data; source attribution retained.
State or territory · National Park System directory. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- Factual reference data; source attribution retained.
History & Culture · National Park Service. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-authored U.S. government material is generally public domain; third-party material may have separate rights. No images copied.
Things To Do · National Park Service. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-supplied text; NPS-authored U.S. government work is generally public domain, subject to third-party rights.
Physical Address · Official park structured information. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-supplied text; NPS-authored government work generally public domain, subject to third-party rights.
Mailing Address · Official park structured information. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-supplied text; NPS-authored government work generally public domain, subject to third-party rights.
Telephone · Official park structured information. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-supplied text; NPS-authored government work generally public domain, subject to third-party rights.