I 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8224 

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 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 11, 2020 

Mr. LAHOOD introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on 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 mining for crude niter in Kentucky caves and 


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1 processing the mined material into saltpeter, by hir2 ing his time to other settlers, and by selling lots in 

3 New Philadelphia, the town he founded; 

4 (2) New Philadelphia, founded in 1836 by 

5 Frank McWorter, was the first town planned and le6 gally registered by a free African American before 

7 the Civil War; 

8 (3) the first railroad constructed in the area of 

9 New Philadelphia bypassed New Philadelphia, which 

10 led to the decline of New Philadelphia; and 

11 (4) the New Philadelphia site is a registered 

12 National Historic Landmark. 

13 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

14 In this Act: 

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

16 Philadelphia Historical Park established by this Act. 

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

18 the Secretary of the Interior. 

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

20 of Illinois. 

21 SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF NEW PHILADELPHIA. 

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

23 State a unit of the National Park System to be known 

24 as the ‘‘New Philadelphia Historical Park’’ to coordi25 nate— 


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1 (1) preservation, protection, and interpretation 

2 efforts of the Park by the Federal Government, the 

3 State, units of local government, and private and 

4 nonprofit organizations; and 

5 (2) appropriate management options necessary 

6 to ensure the protection, preservation, and interpre7 tation of the many significant aspects of the Park. 

8 (b) BOUNDARY.—The Park shall consist of the ap9 proximately lll acres generally depicted as 

10 ‘‘llll’’ on the map titled ‘‘llllllll’’ 

11 and dated llllll. 

12 SEC. 5. ADMINISTRATION. 

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

14 land within the boundary of the Park in accordance 

15 with— 

16 (1) this Act; and 

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

18 National Park System, including— 

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

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

21 102101 of title 54, United States Code; and 

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

23 Code. 

24 (b) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.—The Secretary 

25 may enter into cooperative agreements with the State or 


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1 other public and nonpublic entities, under which the Sec2 retary may identify, interpret, and provide assistance for 

3 the preservation of non-Federal land within the bound4 aries of the Park and at sites in close proximity to the 

5 Park, but located outside the boundaries of the Park, in6 cluding providing for placement of directional and inter7 pretive signage, exhibits, and technology-based interpre8 tive devices. 

9 (c) ACQUISITION OF LAND.—The Secretary may ac10 quire for inclusion in the Park any land (including inter11 ests in land), buildings, or structures owned by the State 

12 or any other political, private, or nonprofit entity by dona13 tion, transfer, exchange, or purchase from a willing seller. 

14 (d) TECHNICAL AND PRESERVATION ASSISTANCE.— 

15 The Secretary may provide public interpretation and tech16 nical assistance for the preservation of historic structures 

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

18 preservation planning for, related historic and cultural re19 sources within the boundaries of the Park. 

20 (e) MANAGEMENT PLAN.—Not later than 3 fiscal 

21 years after the date on which funds are first made avail22 able to carry out this Act, the Secretary, in consultation 

23 with the State, shall complete a general management plan 

24 for the Park in accordance with— 


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

2 Code; and 

3 (2) any other applicable laws. 

4 (f) NO BUFFER ZONE CREATED.—Nothing in this 

5 Act, the acquisition of the land or an interest in land au6 thorized by this Act, or the management plan for the Park 

7 shall be construed to create buffer zones outside of the 

8 Park. That activities or uses can be seen, heard, or de9 tected from the acquired land shall not preclude, limit, 

10 control, regulate, or determine the conduct or manage11 ment of activities or uses outside of the Park. 

12 (g) EMINENT DOMAIN OR CONDEMNATION.—In car13 rying out this Act, the Secretary of the Interior may not 

14 use eminent domain or condemnation. 

15 (h) EFFECT.—Nothing in this Act modifies any au16 thority of the Federal Government to carry out Federal 

17 laws on Federal land located in the Park. 

Æ 


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