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Prairie Fire tells the story of New Philadelphia, Ill., the first town founded by a free African American in U.S. history. We visit with University of Illinois archaeologists, who are unearthing the remains of this once racially integrated town 85 miles northwest of St. Louis, and learn about its founder, “Free” Frank McWorter.
Although the site was designated a National Historic Landmark in January, it’s still largely unknown to the public. Prairie Fire series producer Steve Drake said he understood why after visiting the remote dig site. “I parked on a non-descript dirt road. I never would have guessed that the remains of such an important part of American history were being excavated nearby.” A portable lab, several holes in the ground and a bus lined with shelves filled with artifacts like dolls, bones and crockery were the only clues that history was being unearthed.
“It always surprises me how many amazing things you can find here in central Illinois if you know where to look,” Steve said. “That’s one of the things that I love about Prairie Fire, that we can find out about some of these little-known, out-of-the-way places and help bring them to our viewers.”
Steve interviews two descendants of McWorter, siblings Gerald and Sandra McWorter, who talk about New Philadelphia’s role in the Underground Railroad and their pride in their great-great-grandfather. He also talks to U of I archaeologist Christopher Fennell, who is principal investigator at the dig near Barry, Ill.
Segment duration: 12:06
Story links:
- New Philadelphia Association Web site
- New Philadelphia Web site (by Dr. Christopher Fennell)
- Free Frank New Philadelphia Historic Preservation Foundation Web site
- New Philadelphia Web site (Center for Heritage Resouce Studies)
- National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (NSF-REU)
Producer: Steve Drake
Editor: Steve Drake and Jared Collins
This segment is filed in these categories: Ethnicity/Culture • History • Illinois Culture/History • University of Illinois
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