The Illinois State Museum is collaborating with the National Park Service, the New Philadelphia Association and the Springfield state historic sites to host Free Frank Freedom Day on Sunday, Sept. 13. The event commemorates the freedom of Frank McWorter, entrepreneur, freedom seeker and founder of New Philadelphia in Pike County.
New Philadelphia was the first town in the U.S. founded by an African-American, Free Frank. He later earned the name Frank McWorter through a law he, himself, got enacted in Illinois.
In their book New Philadelphia, Frank McWorter’s great-great grandson, Gerald A. McWorter, and his wife, Kate Williams-McWorter, a professor emeritus and associate professor, respectively, at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, chronicle the amazing story of Frank, his family and the history of the town that today is a National Historic Landmark.
The event at the ISM, 502 S. Spring St., will feature free, family-friendly activities from noon to 2 p.m., including hands-on projects, art and discussion questions that share the story of Free Frank with younger audiences.Â
The New Philadelphia Association will host a formal ceremony at 2 p.m. in the ISM auditorium featuring speeches from McWorter descendants Gerald McWorter and Sheena Franklin, a performance by the Springfield Collective Community Dance Team. A reception with light refreshments will follow.
