Did you guys know that there is a National Historic Site essentially right down the street from Quincy?
New Philadelphia was a town in Illinois (not to be confused with the one that still exists in Ohio). It was founded by Free Frank McWhorter in 1836. Upon his freedom, he set about purchasing the freedom of his family, which took several years to do. Frank & his wife (Free Lucy McWhorter), along with his children & grandchildren, were able to settle in New Philadelphia. The town also grew to include neighbors who were not related to the McWhorters & this included local businesses, a school, & farmers, who worked the land surrounding New Philadelphia.
Two things that we thought were cool from the history of New Philadelphia: 1) The fact that the town was integrated. In New Philadelphia, the townsfolk were of different races, living & working next door to each other, & this was *before* the Civil War. 2) An emphasis on school. African American children & children of European descent were going to school together. Again, integration before the Civil War. Also, at a time when it was illegal for slaves to learn to read, free African American children in New Philadelphia were attending school.
There is also a tie between New Philadelphia & Quincy - one of Frank & Lucy's daughters-in-law lived in Quincy for a time, after the death of her husband.
As a result of New Philadelphia's National Historic Site status, it is overseen by the National Park Service & there is a National Park Ranger occasionally on site. There is also a walking tour that you can take & it comes with an app that can be downloaded to your phone. (In October, a couple of the Quincy Public Library's librarians went to New Philadelphia to do the walking tour.) There is a wildflower garden at New Philadelphia, as well as a pavilion with information on the site.
Congratulations to New Philadelphia on its inclusion in the National Park Service & a job well done to the New Philadelphia Association.
*If you would like to learn more about New Philadelphia, the Quincy Public Library has a small collection of materials on Pike County & New Philadelphia. National Park Service & New Philadelphia Association links are below.
History & Culture - New Philadelphia National Historic Site (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)
New Philadelphia | A Pioneer Town… (newphiladelphiail.org)