Barry, Illinois. A recent addition to the record of New Philadelphia’s tale was offered by the New Philadelphia Association (NPA).
An 1825 wanted ad detailing the freedom flight of Frank, Jr., son of town founders Frank and Lucy McWorter, has been discovered by scholars Gerald and Kate McWorter. Before the Civil War, these advertisements were widespread in the South. The Louisville Public Advertiser carried this one.
The public is encouraged to attend an in-person presentation at Barry Health and Senior Living, 211 Pratt, on Saturday, June 21 at 2:00 p.m. to learn more.
“We knew my great-grandfather Frank Jr. made it to Canada, but now we know when and how,” Gerald McWorter stated in a press statement. It demonstrates how incomplete history is. You can always find more.
According to the advertisement, on October 1, 1825, Frank Jr. rode out of Pulaski County, Kentucky, on a sorrel horse with a blaze on her face. The oral tradition that the family assisted others in achieving freedom is corroborated by letters he wrote to his family in New Philadelphia.
The first town to be platted and officially registered by an African American was New Philadelphia. Today, it is a part of the National Park Service and is known as the New Philadelphia National Historic Site. Like others in Illinois, locals opposed slavery and assisted those seeking freedom in moving north.
The public is encouraged to attend an in-person presentation at Barry Health and Senior Living, located at 211 Pratt St., on Saturday, June 21 at 2:00 p.m.
Call 217-450-0637 to speak with Gerald McWorter about this new discovery.
For general information on the NPA and New Philadelphia, call 201-314-3624 or send an email to [email protected] to reach president Kaye Iftner.
