29–006 

113TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 1st Session 113–219 

NEW PHILADELPHIA, ILLINOIS, STUDY ACT 

SEPTEMBER 20, 2013.—Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 

State of the Union and ordered to be printed 

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington, from the Committee on Natural 

Resources, submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[To accompany H.R. 930] 

[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office] 

The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred the 

bill (H.R. 930) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct 

a special resource study of the archeological site and surrounding 

land of the New Philadelphia town site in the State of Illinois, and 

for other purposes, having considered the same, report favorably 

thereon with an amendment and recommend that the bill as 

amended do pass. 

The amendment is as follows: 

Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the following: 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

This Act may be cited as the ‘‘New Philadelphia, Illinois, Study Act’’. 

SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

Congress finds that— 

(1) Frank McWorter, an enslaved man, bought his freedom and the freedom 

of 15 family members by mining for crude niter in Kentucky caves and processing the mined material into saltpeter; 

(2) New Philadelphia, founded in 1836 by Frank McWorter, was the first town 

planned and legally registered by a free African-American before the Civil War; 

(3) the first railroad constructed in the area of New Philadelphia bypassed 

New Philadelphia, which led to the decline of New Philadelphia; and 

(4) the New Philadelphia site— 

(A) is a registered National Historic Landmark; 

(B) is covered by farmland; and 

(C) does not contain any original buildings of the town or the McWorter 

farm and home that are visible above ground. 

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

In this Act: 

(1) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary of the Interior. 


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(2) STUDY AREA.—The term ‘‘Study Area’’ means the New Philadelphia archeological site and the surrounding land in the State of Illinois. 

SEC. 4. SPECIAL RESOURCE STUDY. 

(a) STUDY.—The Secretary shall conduct a special resource study of the Study 

Area. 

(b) CONTENTS.—In conducting the study under subsection (a), the Secretary 

shall— 

(1) evaluate the national significance of the Study Area; 

(2) determine the suitability and feasibility of designating the Study Area as 

a unit of the National Park System; 

(3) consider other alternatives for preservation, protection, and interpretation 

of the Study Area by— 

(A) Federal, State, or local governmental entities; or 

(B) private and nonprofit organizations; 

(4) consult with— 

(A) interested Federal, State, or local governmental entities; 

(B) private and nonprofit organizations; or 

(C) any other interested individuals; 

(5) identify cost estimates for any Federal acquisition, development, interpretation, operation, and maintenance associated with the alternatives considered 

under paragraph (3); and 

(6) determine the effect of the designation of the Study Area as a unit of the 

National Park System on— 

(A) existing commercial and recreational activities, including but not limited to hunting, fishing, recreational shooting, and on the authorization, 

construction, operation, maintenance or improvement of energy production 

and transmission infrastructure; and 

(B) the effect of the authority of State and local governments to manage 

those activities; and 

(7) identify any authorities, including condemnation, that will compel or permit the Secretary to influence or participate in local land use decisions (such 

as zoning) or place restrictions on nonfederal land if the Study Area is designated a unit of the National Park System. 

(c) APPLICABLE LAW.—The study required under subsection (a) shall be conducted 

in accordance with section 8 of Public Law 91–383 (16 U.S.C. 1a–5). 

(d) REPORT.—Not later than 3 years after the date on which funds are first made 

available for the study under subsection (a), the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 

Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate a report containing— 

(1) the results of the study; and 

(2) any conclusions and recommendations of the Secretary. 

PURPOSE OF THE BILL

The purpose of H.R. 930 is to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of the archeological site and 

surrounding land of the New Philadelphia town site in the State 

of Illinois. 

BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

Born enslaved in South Carolina and moved to Kentucky by his 

enslaver, New Philadelphia founder Frank McWorter purchased 

freedom for his wife in 1817, thus ensuring their soon to be born 

child and future children would be born free. McWorter purchased 

his own freedom in 1819 and subsequently freed an additional 14 

family members from slavery. 

In 1836, he founded a town with the intention of applying proceeds earned through lot sales to free children and grandchildren 

who remained in bondage. McWorter called the town he founded 

Philadelphia and sold lots to African and European Americans. An 

integrated town, New Philadelphia, as it came to be known, was 

a place where free-born and formerly enslaved African Americans 


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lived alongside European Americans in a region and era of intense 

racial strife. 

Situated on fertile prairie land between the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers and near major transportation networks, the town 

grew from a small settlement with three dwellings in the 1840s, 

and peaked in the 1860s with as many as 160 residents. However, 

when the Hannibal to Naples Railroad bypassed the town in 1869, 

New Philadelphia fell into a decline from which it could not recover. Although a few families remained, most of the population 

moved away by the late 1940s. The once thriving town is now an 

archaeological site with only a few building foundations visible on 

the landscape. 

New Philadelphia was listed on the National Register of Historic 

Places in 2005 and in 2009, the town site was designated a National Historic Landmark for its potential to yield information of 

major scientific importance and to affect archaeological theories, 

concepts and ideas. New Philadelphia was included in the National 

Park Service National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom 

Program in 2013 for its participation in the movement to resist and 

end slavery by concealing, harboring and sometimes accompanying 

runaway African Americans seeking freedom to Canada. 

H.R. 930 authorizes the National Park Service to conduct a special resource study to determine the suitability and feasibility of establishing as a unit of the park system the resources associated 

with the New Philadelphia archeological site. 

During full Committee markup, the Committee adopted an 

amendment offered by Congressman Rob Bishop (R-UT) adding 

clear guidance that in the course of the study, the National Park 

Service must consider the impact of a designation on important 

commercial and recreational activities. The Committee is aware of 

examples where Park boundaries are exploited to prohibit activities 

that could benefit communities. This amendment requires that the 

Park Service document the effect a designation could have on such 

things as energy transmission, or even hunting and fishing. 

The amendment also requires the Park Service to identify those 

authorities that allow it to condemn private property, or insert 

itself into local matters such as zoning. It is appropriate that communities are made aware of the consequences that come with the 

National Park Service as their new neighbor. 

COMMITTEE ACTION

H.R. 930 was introduced on February 28, 2013, by Congressman 

Aaron Schock (R–IL). The bill was referred to the Committee on 

Natural Resources, and within the Committee to the Subcommittee 

on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation. On July 23, 2013, 

the Subcommittee held a hearing on the bill. On July 31, 2013, the 

full Natural Resources Committee met to consider the bill. The 

Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation was 

discharged by unanimous consent. Congressman Rob Bishop offered an amendment designated #1 to the bill; the amendment was 

adopted by unanimous consent. No further amendments were offered, and the bill, as amended, was then adopted and ordered favorably reported to the House of Representatives by unanimous 

consent. 


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COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Regarding clause 2(b)(1) of rule X and clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII 

of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the Committee on 

Natural Resources’ oversight findings and recommendations are reflected in the body of this report. 

COMPLIANCE WITH HOUSE RULE XIII

1. Cost of Legislation. Clause 3(d)(1) of rule XIII of the Rules of 

the House of Representatives requires an estimate and a comparison by the Committee of the costs which would be incurred in carrying out this bill. However, clause 3(d)(2)(B) of that rule provides 

that this requirement does not apply when the Committee has included in its report a timely submitted cost estimate of the bill prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget Office under section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974. Under clause 

3(c)(3) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and 

section 403 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee has received the following cost estimate for this bill from the 

Director of the Congressional Budget Office: 

H.R. 930—New Philadelphia, Illinois, Study Act 

H.R. 930 would direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a 

study of the New Philadelphia archaeological site in Illinois to 

evaluate the national significance of the area and to determine the 

feasibility of designating the site as a unit of the National Park 

System. Based on information provided by the National Park Service and assuming the availability of appropriated funds, CBO estimates that conducting the study would cost about $250,000 over 

the next three years. Enacting H.R. 930 would not affect direct 

spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not 

apply. 

H.R. 930 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would 

impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments. 

The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Martin von Gnechten. 

The estimate was approved by Theresa Gull, Deputy Assistant Director for Budget Analysis. 

2. Section 308(a) of Congressional Budget Act. As required by 

clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and section 308(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, 

this bill does not contain any new budget authority, credit authority, or an increase or decrease in revenues or tax expenditures. 

Based on information provided by the National Park Service and 

assuming the availability of appropriated funds, CBO estimates 

that conducting the study would cost about $250,000 over the next 

three years. 

3. General Performance Goals and Objectives. As required by 

clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII, the general performance goal or objective 

of this bill is to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct 

a special resource study of the archeological site and surrounding 

land of the New Philadelphia town site in the State of Illinois. 


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EARMARK STATEMENT

This bill does not contain any Congressional earmarks, limited 

tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined under clause 9(e), 

9(f), and 9(g) of rule XXI of the Rules of the House of Representatives. 

COMPLIANCE WITH PUBLIC LAW 104–4

This bill contains no unfunded mandates. 

COMPLIANCE WITH H. RES. 5

Directed Rule Making. The Chairman does not believe that this 

bill directs any executive branch official to conduct any specific 

rule-making proceedings. 

Duplication of Existing Programs. This bill does not establish or 

reauthorize a program of the federal government known to be duplicative of another program. Such program was not included in 

any report from the Government Accountability Office to Congress 

pursuant to section 21 of Public Law 111–139 or identified in the 

most recent Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance published pursuant to the Federal Program Information Act (Public Law 95–220, 

as amended by Public Law 98–169) as relating to other programs. 

PREEMPTION OF STATE, LOCAL OR TRIBAL LAW

This bill is not intended to preempt any State, local or tribal law. 

CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW

If enacted, this bill would make no changes in existing law. 

Æ 


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