Metro East Sun

In a Feb. 3 Facebook post, Rep. Amy Elik shared information on a national park in the state.

“One of our nation's newest national parks is right here in Illinois,” she wrote on Facebook. “The New Philadelphia National Historic Site commemorates the first town known to be officially registered by an African American.”

Elik was first elected to the Illinois House in 2020. A Republican, their legislative experience includes serving on the Transportation: Regulation, Roads and Revenue & Finance. Elik is a state representative who resides in Fosterburg, according to the Illinois House.

This comes after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is seeking the Republican nomination for the 2024 Presidential election, sought to ban the Advanced Placement course on African American studies because it taught the Black Lives Matter movement, slavery reparations and queer theory, NPR reported.

The park, called New Philadelphia National Historic Site, is just outside of Barry, Ill. It was designated a national park on Dec. 29, 2022. According to the National Park Service (NPS), the new park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, designated as a National Historic Landmark, and included in the National Park Service’s National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.

NPS noted New Philadelphia disappeared into the soil and the material was buried. It survived through documents, oral histories from the community and artifacts.

The new park was announced in a Dec. 30 press release from the National Park Service. The protection of the original town's location as a national historic site will permanently safeguard it for future generations and help preserve the important stories of Frank McWorter and others from the first African American town in the United States. NPS will work to establish a presence at New Philadelphia National Historic Site so that visitors can journey to the park and learn from the legacy of Frank McWorter. “We welcome New Philadelphia National Historic Site as the 424th national park and invite all to learn about the town and those who lived there. The designation of New Philadelphia National Historic Site ensures that Frank McWorter’s struggle, sacrifices and legacy will never be forgotten,” said NPS Director Chuck Sams. “It is an honor to steward these parks and programs that preserve the diverse pieces of our nation’s history.”

NPS noted organizations such as the New Philadelphia Association, the Archaeological Conservancy, the Philadelphia Land Trust, the McWorter family, faculty and students from the Universities of Illinois and Maryland are some of the few who’ve worked to protect the historical site.

According to the University of Illinois, the town was platted and registered in 1836, by Frank McWorter. "He and his wife, Lucy, bought freedom for themselves and 14 other family members. They acquired land in Pike County, and after platting and registering space for the town, Frank and Lucy sold lots to free African American families and European American families attracted to their vision of a community dedicated to freedom. New Philadelphia – just 25 miles from the slave markets in Hannibal, Missouri, – helped people escaping slavery along the Underground Railroad."