Summary: Time Team America digs for the remains of the first American town founded by former slaves.

In 1836 “Free Frank” McWorter purchased his freedom from a Kentucky plantation owner and headed North. When he reached Illinois, he planted roots, started a town, and sold…
[show all]Time Team America digs for the remains of the first American town founded by former slaves.

In 1836 “Free Frank” McWorter purchased his freedom from a Kentucky plantation owner and headed North. When he reached Illinois, he planted roots, started a town, and sold enough property to purchase the rest of his family out of slavery. Now farmers’ fields cover this dramatic testament to victory over enslavement. The local landowners, descendants of the town’s residents, and the McWorter family want to uncover what remains of New Philadelphia to commemorate its place in history.

Time Team America joins in the search for the pre-Civil War schoolhouse where New Philadelphia’s African American children learned to read and write in freedom.
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