Barry Illinois Community New Philadelphia Public Park Promotion

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Welcome to
The Western CUSD#12 School District
"New Philadelphia"
University of Illinois at Springfield
Illinois Public Policy High School Project.
We'd like to introduce our efforts at making the site of New Philadelphia a state park and highlight important areas on our site.
Fighting for an issue is a significant challenge. It is difficult to get a message out to as many people as possible in a short time. This web site is a great way to quickly introduce ourselves and educate visitors on the key issues.

We hope you'll find the information you need on this site to make an informed decision. We look forward to hearing from you if you have any questions or need further information.

New Philadelphia, located in central Hadley Township, was the first ever town in America started by an African-American. "Free Frank" McWorter was a slave in Virginia who made saltpeter. He saved $800 and paid for his own freedom. He also paid for the freedom of his wife and four of his thirteen children. "Free Frank" came to Pike County and laid out New Philadelphia in 1836. He sold 144 lots to raise money to buy the freedom of the rest of his family. Thirty-three people lived in New Philadelphia, and the town lasted until 1885, when the railroad passed by further south of the town

FreeFrankSign.jpg

Western CUSD#12 School
401 McDonough St
Barry, IL 62312

This site is promoted by the Public Policy High School Grant from University of Illinois at Springfield.