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| Free Frank era buildings moved to townsite |
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| Town plat in incorporation documents |
New Philadelphia
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| Town plan in 1872 |
New Philadelphia was founded in 1836 by a former slave, Free Frank McWorter. Although colonies of freed blacks had been established before, this town was different. It is the first town platted and legally registered by an African-American prior to the Civil War. Free Frank used the proceeds from sales of lots to buy the freedom of his children and grandchildren who were still enslaved at that time. New Philadelphia is also one of the first wholly integrated towns in the United States, where whites, blacks, and biracial people lived willingly side by side on equal footing. The only facilities that appear to be segregated are the cemeteries, as even school facilities were integrated (although some accounts maintain that there was a school for whites and a school for blacks until 1874). There is no clear picture as to why that might be, but I think that the cemetery for blacks started as the McWorter family cemetery and expanded to include extended family and friends.
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| New Philadelphia population trends 1850-1880 |
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| Racial balance in New Philadelphia 1850-1880 |
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| Modern aerial map with town grid overlay |
Free Frank McWorter
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| Bust of Free Frank McWorter based on descriptions and pictures of descendants. |
Outside of being a fully integrated antebellum town founded by a former slave, the story of New Philadelphia itself is as unremarkable as the story of its founder is amazing. Free Frank McWorter was born a slave in 1777 South Carolina's Piedmont region (Union County) near the Pacolet River. His mother was an African woman named Juda and his father was most likely her owner, George McWhorter. He was of mixed race and is described in various documents of the time as "yellow" or "mulatto". Being a slave, he was known at this time simply as Frank.
He was moved to Pulaski County, Kentucky in 1795. It is quite possible that my 6x great-grandfather Nicholas Jasper knew McWhorter and Frank, since the Jaspers lived in Union County, South Carolina in the 1770's before moving to (and naming) Pulaski County, Kentucky. In 1820 and 1830, several Jaspers are found on Census pages adjoining Free Frank, so they lived nearby. Free Frank married a slave woman named Lucy from the neighboring farm of a distant McWhorter family connection, William Denham. At this time, marriages between slaves carried no legal standing, since a slave was the property of their owner. Frank fathered four children while enslaved: Judy, Sally, Frank and Solomon. By 1810, Frank was allowed to hire himself out for work, and was allowed to keep any monetary amount beyond that charged by McWhorter for his slave's work. Frank also set up a saltpeter mining operation, providing a key ingredient for gunpowder manufacture.
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| Lucy McWorter c. 1870 painting by George Neal from family daguerreotype |
When George McWhorter died in 1815, he made no provision for the manumission (freeing from slavery) of Frank, so Frank was transferred with the rest of the estate property to McWhorter's heirs. By 1817, Frank had saved enough money to purchase the freedom of his wife from her owner at the price of $800 (about $14,500 in 2016 money). Already recognized as a sharp businessman, Frank demonstrates his shrewdness here, since Lucy was pregnant. Their son,Squire, was born a free person, and that is one less purchase Frank would have to make. Frank paid for his own freedom for the same amount from the McWhorter's. His manumission papers were signed on 13 September 1819. Two more children were born in freedom: Commodore and Lucy Ann.
Frank continued to live in Pulaski County, Kentucky mining saltpeter, speculating on land and farming. By the time of the 1820 Census, Frank had adopted the name Free Frank, announcing his status as a free man. In 1829, Free Frank traded his saltpeter operation for Frank Jr.'s freedom. By this time, Frank Jr. had escaped to Canada, and this business deal allowed him to return to the United States a free person. In 1830, Free Frank is listed as Free Frank Denham in Pulaski County, Kentucky with two sons, two daughters, Lucy and himself listed as free colored persons.
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| Interpretive sign in information kiosk at roughly the corner of Broad and North Streets |
Remaining free could be a tricky proposition for a black person in antebellum USA. Kidnappers could seize a free person, burn their papers and sell them back into slavery. Free Frank wished to gain some breathing room by moving to a free state. He was able to buy a quarter section of land (160 acres) on the Military Tract of Illinois from Dr. Galen Elliott. In 1830, Free Frank and his free family moved north, wintering in Greene County, Illinois. During the trip, Frank Jr. lagged behind his parents, decreasing the chance that kidnappers could capture all of them. All told, the family would fetch about $4000 on the slave market (about $105,250 in 2016 money). They arrived on their land in Hadley Township, Pike County, Illinois in spring of 1831. An early history of the county noted that "the first white man to settle Hadley Township was a black man".
This was a turbulent time in Illinois politics. Bordering slaveholding states on the south and west, political maneuvering was taking place to variously make Illinois a slave state, a free state, a slave state that barred free blacks and finally an all-white state barring all blacks. Free Frank's land ownership circumvented a requirement by Illinois at the time for free blacks to post a $1000 ($26,000 2016 dollars) bond before emigrating to Illinois.
Free Frank set to rapidly improving his land, and had 80 acres in production within two years, using tools that he brought with him from Kentucky. He farmed oats, barley, flax, potatoes, cattle, hogs and horses. Lucy helped in the operation by raising poultry, making butter, cheese, and collecting honey. The farm was successful enough that Free Frank could buy another 80 acres directly south of his farm and buy his son Solomon from slavery by 1835. This additional 80 acres was used to lay out the town of New Philadelphia in 1836. In all, Free Frank owned 600 acres of Illinois land. When Free Frank incorporated the town, it was noted that he intended to used the profits from the sales of town lots to purchase the freedom of his family that remained enslaved.
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| 1872 property map of Hadley Township around New Philadelphia |
Illinois law did not very clearly spell out the rights of freed blacks to own land. In addressing this, 14 white citizens of Pike County vouched for Free Frank's character. He then petitioned the Illinois legislature for a legal last name (McWorter), allowing his children to take his name, and spelled out his rights as a citizen, having "the right to sue and be sued, plead and be impleaded, purchase and convey both real and personal property in said last mentioned name". This created precedent for all free blacks to own property. By the time that Free Frank McWorter died in 1854, he had purchased the freedom of his children remaining in slavery, as well as his daughter-in-law Louisa and two grandchildren. His will directed his heirs to purchase the freedom of the rest of the family, which occurred prior to the start of the Civil War. In all, he purchased the freedom of 16 individuals at a cost of about $14000 (2016 equivalent, about $370,000).
It is an amazing story. A man born a slave, establishing a business, buying freedom for his family and himself. The arc of success continued throughout Free Frank's life, he started a town, that fostered a tolerant society, secured property rights for blacks in Illinois and left his family in position to carry on his legacy. Many of the McWorter's remained as farmers after the demise of New Philadelphia in 1885, but most have scattered across the country, still building up a stronger, better nation. Their story can be seen in part on an episode of Time Team America (Season 1, Episode 3).
Waypoint: Latitude 39.698023 N; Longitude 90.961322 W
It is an amazing story. A man born a slave, establishing a business, buying freedom for his family and himself. The arc of success continued throughout Free Frank's life, he started a town, that fostered a tolerant society, secured property rights for blacks in Illinois and left his family in position to carry on his legacy. Many of the McWorter's remained as farmers after the demise of New Philadelphia in 1885, but most have scattered across the country, still building up a stronger, better nation. Their story can be seen in part on an episode of Time Team America (Season 1, Episode 3).
Getting There
Much work is still being done in terms of archaeological study of the site. When we visited, there was a covered kiosk for the interpretive signs. It appears from pictures that individual house sites are being marked as they are uncovered.
From US-36/I-72, exit at Barry, Illinois (exit 20). Take County Highway 4 south to Illinois Highway 106. Turn east on IL-106. Turn northeast onto County Highway 2 east to New Philadelphia townsite at 360th Ln.
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