‘Free’ Frank McWorter mined saltpeter as a slave, purchased first his wife’s, then his and ultimately 14 more family members’ freedom and founded this town with 12 dozen plots in 1836, the first African American registered & surveyed town in America. It was a mixed race community as Frank sold lots to all, and it became an important stop on the Underground Railroad. Fugitive slaves were assisted across the rivers, hidden in wagons and at least one basement and were even accompanied to Canada. Unfortunately, at the end of the 19th century the actual railroad bypassed the town in favor of a white town, so eventually folks moved away.

None of the early buildings survive, but there are a few old buildings built on their foundations, providing years of fun for archaeologists. There are a dozen or so signs explaining whether the plot belonged to the shoemaker, wheelwright, carpenter, seamstress, physician, teacher, merchant, cabinet maker, the blacksmith or the Post Office (above). Many of those tradespeople provided invaluable services to fugitive slaves. I wasn’t able to load the VR app which superimposes cartoon pioneers on your screen to help you visualize, but I was fine without. This brand new park is not in the completely uninteresting town of New Philadelphia, Illinois, an hour north, but it is about 30 miles east of the interesting town of Hannibal, MO.

On April 22nd, the park film was screened in Springfield, and, being a park nerd, I attended the gala park service premiere (cookies were served). Several members of the community responsible for gaining recognition for the site were there. The film was produced mainly by staff from the Lincoln Home. Just as Lincoln’s presence here attracted freedom-seekers, the folks here are broadening out understanding of history.