Landscape Information
Situated on 42 acres between the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers is the site of the first town in the United States to be platted and registered by an African American man. Frank McWorter (1777-1854) was born into enslavement but purchased his freedom in 1819, along with the freedom of fifteen family members. In 1835 McWorter purchased an 80-acre parcel of land in Hadley Township, designating 42 acres for a gridiron city plan and the remaining acreage for farming. Divided into 144 rectangular lots, each measuring 60 by 120 feet, the town was soon populated by both African American and European American residents. Operating as a stop on the Underground Railroad, New Philadelphia reached its peak in the 1860s, comprising 31 households, several businesses, a church, and a school. The population suffered a steep decline after the town was bypassed by the construction of the Hannibal-Naples Railroad (1869) and gradually, many lots reverted to farmland. By the 1930s all original structures were lost, and the town was nearly entirely abandoned. Efforts begun by The New Philadelphia Association in 1996 have helped uncover and stabilize archaeological resources.
The site is characterized by gently rolling terrain blanketed in native prairie grasses, agricultural fields, scattered groupings of deciduous trees, a pond, and Kiser Creek to the east. An informational kiosk stands near the entrance on County Highway 2, which marks the site’s northern boundary. A winding gravel road follows the historic alignment of the north-south Broad and Ann Streets, while a footpath leads southeast from the kiosk to the remains of several original structures protected by non-contributing log cabins situated over them. Further south is a non-contributing residence and two outbuildings (1930s).
The New Philadelphia National Historic Site was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2005, designated a National Historic Landmark in 2009, and included in the National Park Service National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom in 2013.
