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New Philadelphia Special Resource Study
Midwest Regional Office » New Philadelphia Special Resource Study » Document List
The National Park Service prepared a special resource study (SRS) of the New Philadelphia town site in Illinois to evaluate the national significance of the site, and the suitability and feasibility of adding it to the national park system.
On December 29, 2022, President Joe Biden signed P.L. 117-328 (the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023) designating the New Philadelphia National Historic Site as part of the national park system. The final study as transmitted to Congress in April 2024 completes the SRS process. Although passage of this law made the study's conclusions obsolete, the New Philadelphia Special Resource Study document contains useful information for the National Park Service's establishment and development of the new national park unit, as well as meeting the requirement of P.L. 113-291 that authorized the study. Please see "Document List" on the left menu to find the full study document and transmittal letters. More information about New Philadelphia National Historic Site can be found here: https://www.nps.gov/neph/index.htm
New Philadelphia, located near Barry, Illinois, is the first town known to be platted and officially registered by an African American. New Philadelphia was founded in 1836 by Frank McWhorter, an enslaved man from Kentucky who bought his freedom and the freedom of 15 family members. The New Philadelphia Historic District, which consists of archeological features within the 40-acre original townsite, was designated a National Historic Landmark on January 16, 2009.
Interior Regions 3, 4, and 5
On December 29, 2022, President Joe Biden signed P.L. 117-328 (the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023) designating the New Philadelphia National Historic Site as part of the national park system. The final study as transmitted to Congress in April 2024 completes the SRS process. Although passage of this law made the study's conclusions obsolete, the New Philadelphia Special Resource Study document contains useful information for the National Park Service's establishment and development of the new national park unit, as well as meeting the requirement of P.L. 113-291 that authorized the study. Please see "Document List" on the left menu to find the full study document and transmittal letters. More information about New Philadelphia National Historic Site can be found here: https://www.nps.gov/neph/index.htm
New Philadelphia, located near Barry, Illinois, is the first town known to be platted and officially registered by an African American. New Philadelphia was founded in 1836 by Frank McWhorter, an enslaved man from Kentucky who bought his freedom and the freedom of 15 family members. The New Philadelphia Historic District, which consists of archeological features within the 40-acre original townsite, was designated a National Historic Landmark on January 16, 2009.
Contact Information
James Lange, Planning and Compliance Division ManagerInterior Regions 3, 4, and 5