Free Frank McWorter
Encyclopedia
Free Frank McWorter was an American
slave who bought his own freedom and in 1836 founded the town of New Philadelphia
in Illinois
; he was the first black to found a town in the United States before the American Civil War
. The New Philadelphia Town Site
was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 2005 and designated a National Historic Landmark
in 2009.
In the late 20th century, a local history group recruited archaeologists to explore the long-abandoned town site. Teams from the University of Maryland, College Park
, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and De Paul University have worked for years on research and excavations, collected data about residents from census and land records, and turned up thousands of artifacts. In addition they have trained students at summer field schools, and published reports, articles, and books on the history of McWorter, his family and his town.
McWorter descendants donated the collected 11 volumes of documentation to the Abraham Lincoln
Presidential Library in February 2008. In addition the family donated a bronze bust of Frank McWorter by his great-great-granddaughter Shirley McWorter Moss.
to Juda, born in West Africa
, abducted into slavery and transported to the colony
. His father was likely her white master, George McWhorter, a Scots-Irish plantation
owner. According to family tradition, Juda had to convince McWhorter to allow his mixed-race son to live.
In 1795 McWhorter moved to Pulaski County, Kentucky
and took Frank to build and later manage his holdings there. Frank tended the farm, but McWhorter also leased him to work for neighbors as a laborer. From being hired out, Frank learned business skills and earned more money than his master required him to hand over. After McWhorter moved to Tennessee, he continued to have Frank manage his farm in Kentucky. Frank used his savings to create a saltpeter
production operation, for which there was considerable demand during the War of 1812.
. By the second year they started farming. In 1836 Frank filed a plat to create the village of New Philadelphia on 80 acres (323,748.8 m²) which he had purchased from the federal government for $100. The town site, which was divided into 144 lots, was registered with government authorities in 1836. McWorter established residence in New Philadelphia with his family and sold other lots to new residents. Both blacks and whites settled there and supported an integrated school. It was the crossroads of an agricultural community and, when founded, proposed as being on the route of a planned Illinois-Michigan canal (which was never built.)
In 1837, Free Frank petitioned the Illinois legislature (as was required) so that he could officially take the surname McWorter. In that same year, the legislation was passed to "make 'Frank McWorter' his legal name." This technicality enabled him to have certain rights normally reserved for white men in Illinois. He could bring lawsuits to court, and could legally marry his wife of over 40 years. But, he still could not vote."
McWorter was the first black man in the United States to incorporate a municipality. He served as mayor of New Philadelphia, which was soon settled by African-Americans and European-Americans, for years.
Frank WcWorter lived most of the rest of his life in western Illinois, with intervals in Kentucky before the American Civil War
to buy freedom for his three grown children and grandchildren left in Kentucky. For instance, in 1835 he returned and purchased the freedom of his son Solomon. On each trip he risked capture by unscrupulous slave traders, despite his legally free status.
McWorter died on September 7, 1854; by that time he had bought the freedom of eight more of his relatives. Through his work, he gained freedom for 16 members of his family. His heirs used his inheritance to free seven more relatives.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
slave who bought his own freedom and in 1836 founded the town of New Philadelphia
New Philadelphia Town Site
The New Philadelphia Town Site is the original site of the now-vanished town of "New Philadelphia", Illinois. It is located near the city of Barry, in Pike County. Founded in 1836, it was the first town in the United States platted and registered by an African American before the American Civil War...
in Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
; he was the first black to found a town in the United States before the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. The New Philadelphia Town Site
New Philadelphia Town Site
The New Philadelphia Town Site is the original site of the now-vanished town of "New Philadelphia", Illinois. It is located near the city of Barry, in Pike County. Founded in 1836, it was the first town in the United States platted and registered by an African American before the American Civil War...
was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 2005 and designated a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 2009.
In the late 20th century, a local history group recruited archaeologists to explore the long-abandoned town site. Teams from the University of Maryland, College Park
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and De Paul University have worked for years on research and excavations, collected data about residents from census and land records, and turned up thousands of artifacts. In addition they have trained students at summer field schools, and published reports, articles, and books on the history of McWorter, his family and his town.
McWorter descendants donated the collected 11 volumes of documentation to the Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
Presidential Library in February 2008. In addition the family donated a bronze bust of Frank McWorter by his great-great-granddaughter Shirley McWorter Moss.
Biography
Frank McWorter was born 1777 into slavery in South CarolinaSouth Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
to Juda, born in West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
, abducted into slavery and transported to the colony
Colony
In politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....
. His father was likely her white master, George McWhorter, a Scots-Irish plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
owner. According to family tradition, Juda had to convince McWhorter to allow his mixed-race son to live.
In 1795 McWhorter moved to Pulaski County, Kentucky
Pulaski County, Kentucky
Pulaski County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. The population was 63,063 in the 2010 Census. Its county seat is Somerset6. The county is named for Count Kazimierz Pułaski. Most of the county is a prohibition or dry county...
and took Frank to build and later manage his holdings there. Frank tended the farm, but McWhorter also leased him to work for neighbors as a laborer. From being hired out, Frank learned business skills and earned more money than his master required him to hand over. After McWhorter moved to Tennessee, he continued to have Frank manage his farm in Kentucky. Frank used his savings to create a saltpeter
Potassium nitrate
Potassium nitrate is a chemical compound with the formula KNO3. It is an ionic salt of potassium ions K+ and nitrate ions NO3−.It occurs as a mineral niter and is a natural solid source of nitrogen. Its common names include saltpetre , from medieval Latin sal petræ: "stone salt" or possibly "Salt...
production operation, for which there was considerable demand during the War of 1812.
Marriage and family
In 1799 Frank married Lucy, an enslaved African American on a neighboring plantation. They had four children, all born into slavery. By 1817 Frank had earned enough money to buy Lucy from her master for $800, and give her freedom. Two years later in 1819 he bought his own freedom at the same price, earning him the name Free Frank. In 1829 Free Frank traded his saltpeter plant in exchange for the freedom of his eldest son, also called Frank, who had fled to Canada and was a fugitive. By this time he and Lucy also had three freeborn children: Squire, Commodore and Lucy Ann.Move to Illinois
In 1830 Frank, Lucy and their four free children moved to Pike County, IllinoisPike County, Illinois
Pike County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 16,430, which is a decrease of 5.5% from 17,384 in 2000...
. By the second year they started farming. In 1836 Frank filed a plat to create the village of New Philadelphia on 80 acres (323,748.8 m²) which he had purchased from the federal government for $100. The town site, which was divided into 144 lots, was registered with government authorities in 1836. McWorter established residence in New Philadelphia with his family and sold other lots to new residents. Both blacks and whites settled there and supported an integrated school. It was the crossroads of an agricultural community and, when founded, proposed as being on the route of a planned Illinois-Michigan canal (which was never built.)
In 1837, Free Frank petitioned the Illinois legislature (as was required) so that he could officially take the surname McWorter. In that same year, the legislation was passed to "make 'Frank McWorter' his legal name." This technicality enabled him to have certain rights normally reserved for white men in Illinois. He could bring lawsuits to court, and could legally marry his wife of over 40 years. But, he still could not vote."
McWorter was the first black man in the United States to incorporate a municipality. He served as mayor of New Philadelphia, which was soon settled by African-Americans and European-Americans, for years.
Frank WcWorter lived most of the rest of his life in western Illinois, with intervals in Kentucky before the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
to buy freedom for his three grown children and grandchildren left in Kentucky. For instance, in 1835 he returned and purchased the freedom of his son Solomon. On each trip he risked capture by unscrupulous slave traders, despite his legally free status.
McWorter died on September 7, 1854; by that time he had bought the freedom of eight more of his relatives. Through his work, he gained freedom for 16 members of his family. His heirs used his inheritance to free seven more relatives.
Town's decline
In 1869 the first railroad was built through Pike County, bypassing New Philadelphia to the north for Barry, which had a train station. Businesses moved there for better access. The population of New Philadelphia rapidly declined. By the end of the nineteenth century, some of the townsite had been reverted to farmland for cultivation, but other areas were inhabited through the 1920s.Legacy
- McWorter's gravesiteFree Frank McWorter Grave SiteThe Free Frank McWorter Grave Site, near the Pike County, Illinois city of Barry, is the grave site of former slave Frank McWorter. McWorter, originally from South Carolina, bought his and 14 other slave relatives' freedom during the mid-19th century in Kentucky.In 1836 he was the first African...
, located near Barry, IllinoisBarry, IllinoisBarry is a city in Pike County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,368 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Barry is located at ....
, is listed on the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic PlacesThe National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
- A portion of I-72 in Pike County was designated the Frank McWorter Memorial Highway.
- The New Philadelphia Town SiteNew Philadelphia Town SiteThe New Philadelphia Town Site is the original site of the now-vanished town of "New Philadelphia", Illinois. It is located near the city of Barry, in Pike County. Founded in 1836, it was the first town in the United States platted and registered by an African American before the American Civil War...
was listed on the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic PlacesThe National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 2005 and designated a National Historic LandmarkNational Historic LandmarkA National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 2009.