new-philadelphia | IL | Find park

A grassy field surrounded by forest under a sunny sky with large white clouds.

View of New Philadelphia National Historic Site on a sunny day.

Four interpretive panels mounted under a covered, open-sided kiosk overlooking a prairie landscape.

A kiosk houses several informational panels at New Philadelphia National Historic Site.

A mowed path through prairie. There are numbered signs along the trail.

Visitors 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.

Twenty children of mixed ages and genders posing for the camera in front of a schoolhouse.

Schoolchildren at the New Philadelphia School, October 1925.

Historic black and white photo of an African American woman seated looking past the camera.

Lucy McWorter, Free Frank McWorter’s wife, 1800s.

Physical Address:

New Philadelphia National Historic Site

29782 306 Lane

Barry, IL 62312

Mailing Address:

New Philadelphia National Historic Site

29766 306 Lane

Barry, IL 62312

contact-details

Phone Number: (573) 880-3120 Voice

Email Address: christopher_collins@nps.gov
Description:

Fees

Entrance Fees

Entrance Passes

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.

park designation:National Historic Site

Directions:

New Philadelphia National Historic Site is in rural western Illinois between the Mississippi and Illinois rivers near Interstate 72. The site can be reached by turning onto 306th Lane from County Highway 2. An informational kiosk is immediately on the left after turning onto 306th Lane. The small city of Barry lies two miles west and has the nearest services. Hannibal, Missouri, is 27 miles west. Springfield, Illinois, is 76 miles east. St. Louis lies about 115 miles south.

For detailed directions, please visit this link.

Directions

Operating Hours:

Operating Hours

The site is open to the public with no scheduled operating hours.

Weather Information:

Temperatures at our site can range from 0°F (-18°C) in the winter to 95°F (35°C) or warmer in the summer. Summers can be very humid, with intense sun, rainstorms, thunderstorms possible. Snow and occasional blizzard conditions are possible in the winter. Please dress appropriately for potential weather conditions and plan ahead.