The Looking for Lincoln Heritage Coalition has announced an upcoming documentary short about “Free” Frank McWhorter and the story of New Philadelphia in Pike County.
The short will be entitled “New Philadelphia Illinois: A Racially Diverse Community on the Illinois Frontier” and discuss McWhorter’s journey in platting the first town by an African-American in the nation’s history in 1836. The short will also tell how small group of residents, descendants, and archaeologists helped bring the story to the forefront once again to help it become the newest National Park in the country.
The short will be a part of a series called ‘Looking for Lincoln Stories,” highlighting the diverse history of the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area. The series includes videos and audio podcasts designed to bring these stories to life in an entertaining and educational manner.
The video series can be found on the Looking for Lincoln YouTube page and Facebook video channel. The podcasts can be found at www.lookingforlincoln.org under the Education tab, or on your favorite podcasting app.