II 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 3141 

To establish the New Philadelphia National Historical Park in the State 

of Illinois as a unit of the National Park System, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

NOVEMBER 2, 2021 

Mr. DURBIN introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To establish the New Philadelphia National Historical Park 

in the State of Illinois as a unit of the National Park 

System, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘New Philadelphia Na5 tional Historical Park Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds that— 

8 (1) Frank McWorter, an enslaved man, bought 

9 his freedom and the freedom of 15 family members 

10 by— 


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1 (A) mining for crude niter in Kentucky 

2 caves and processing the mined material into 

3 saltpeter; 

4 (B) hiring his time to other settlers; and 

5 (C) selling lots in New Philadelphia, which 

6 was— 

7 (i) the town founded by Frank 

8 McWorter; and 

9 (ii) the first town planned and legally 

10 registered by a free African American be11 fore the Civil War; 

12 (2) the first railroad constructed in the area of 

13 New Philadelphia bypassed New Philadelphia, which 

14 led to the decline of New Philadelphia; and 

15 (3) the site of New Philadelphia is a registered 

16 National Historic Landmark. 

17 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

18 In this Act: 

19 (1) PARK.—The term ‘‘Park’’ means the New 

20 Philadelphia National Historical Park established by 

21 section 4(a). 

22 (2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

23 the Secretary of the Interior. 

24 (3) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means the State 

25 of Illinois. 


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1 SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF NEW PHILADELPHIA NA2 TIONAL HISTORICAL PARK. 

3 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the 

4 State as a unit of the National Park System the New 

5 Philadelphia National Historical Park. 

6 (b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of the Park are— 

7 (1) to protect, preserve, and interpret the many 

8 significant aspects of the Park; and 

9 (2) to the extent feasible, to coordinate preser10 vation and interpretation activities with the State 

11 and other public and nonpublic entities through co12 operative agreements entered into under section 

13 5(c). 

14 (c) BOUNDARY.—The Park shall consist of the ap15 proximately 124.33 acres of land within the boundary gen16 erally depicted as ‘‘Legislative Boundary’’ on the map pre17 pared by the National Park Service entitled ‘‘New Phila18 delphia National Historic Site Proposed Boundary’’, num19 bered 591/176,516, and dated July 2021. 

20 SEC. 5. ADMINISTRATION. 

21 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall administer 

22 land within the boundary of the Park in accordance 

23 with— 

24 (1) this Act; and 

25 (2) the laws generally applicable to units of the 

26 National Park System, including— 


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1 (A) section 100101(a), chapter 1003, and 

2 sections 100751(a), 100752, 100753, and 

3 102101 of title 54, United States Code; and 

4 (B) chapter 3201 of title 54, United States 

5 Code. 

6 (b) MANAGEMENT AND OPERATIONS.—The Lincoln 

7 Home National Historic Site shall be responsible for the 

8 management and operations of the Park. 

9 (c) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.—The Secretary 

10 may enter into cooperative agreements with the State or 

11 other public and nonpublic entities under which the Sec12 retary may identify, interpret, and provide assistance for 

13 the preservation of non-Federal land within the bound14 aries of the Park and at sites in close proximity to the 

15 Park but located outside the boundaries of the Park, in16 cluding providing for— 

17 (1) the placement of directional and interpretive 

18 signage; 

19 (2) exhibits; and 

20 (3) technology-based interpretive devices. 

21 (d) ACQUISITION OF LAND.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), 

23 the Secretary may acquire land and interests in land 

24 (including any buildings or structures) for inclusion 

25 in the Park by— 


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1 (A) donation; 

2 (B) purchase with donated or appropriated 

3 funds; or 

4 (C) exchange. 

5 (2) LIMITATION.—Any land owned by the State 

6 or a political subdivision of the State may be ac7 quired for inclusion in the Park only by donation. 

8 (e) TECHNICAL AND PRESERVATION ASSISTANCE.— 

9 The Secretary may provide public interpretation and tech10 nical assistance for the preservation of historic structures 

11 of, the maintenance of the cultural landscape of, and local 

12 preservation planning for, related historic and cultural re13 sources within the boundaries of the Park. 

14 (f) MANAGEMENT PLAN.—Not later than 3 fiscal 

15 years after the date on which funds are first made avail16 able to carry out this Act, the Secretary, in consultation 

17 with the State, shall complete a general management plan 

18 for the Park in accordance with— 

19 (1) section 100502 of title 54, United States 

20 Code; and 

21 (2) any other applicable laws. 

Æ 


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