I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 820 
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 
FEBRUARY 4, 2021 
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. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘New Philadelphia Na-
tional Historical Park 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 
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processing the mined material into saltpeter, by hir-
ing his time to other settlers, and by selling lots in 
New Philadelphia, the town he founded; 
(2) New Philadelphia, founded in 1836 by 
Frank McWorter, was the first town planned and le-
gally 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 is a registered 
National Historic Landmark. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) PARK.—The term ‘‘Park’’ means the New 
Philadelphia Historical Park established by this Act. 
(2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of the Interior. 
(3) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means the State 
of Illinois. 
SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF NEW PHILADELPHIA. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the 
State a unit of the National Park System to be known 
as the ‘‘New Philadelphia Historical Park’’ to coordi-
nate— 
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(1) preservation, protection, and interpretation 
efforts of the Park by the Federal Government, the 
State, units of local government, and private and 
nonprofit organizations; and 
(2) appropriate management options necessary 
to ensure the protection, preservation, and interpre-
tation of the many significant aspects of the Park. 
(b) BOUNDARY.—The Park shall consist of the ap-
proximately 
lll 
acres 
generally 
depicted 
as 
‘‘llll’’ on the map titled ‘‘llllllll’’ 
and dated llllll. 
SEC. 5. ADMINISTRATION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall administer 
land within the boundary of the Park in accordance 
with— 
(1) this Act; and 
(2) the laws generally applicable to units of the 
National Park System, including— 
(A) section 100101(a), chapter 1003, and 
sections 100751(a), 100752, 100753, and 
102101 of title 54, United States Code; and 
(B) chapter 3201 of title 54, United States 
Code. 
(b) COOPERATIVE
AGREEMENTS.—The Secretary 
may enter into cooperative agreements with the State or 
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other public and nonpublic entities, under which the Sec-
retary may identify, interpret, and provide assistance for 
the preservation of non-Federal land within the bound-
aries of the Park and at sites in close proximity to the 
Park, but located outside the boundaries of the Park, in-
cluding providing for placement of directional and inter-
pretive signage, exhibits, and technology-based interpre-
tive devices. 
(c) ACQUISITION OF LAND.—The Secretary may ac-
quire for inclusion in the Park any land (including inter-
ests in land), buildings, or structures owned by the State 
or any other political, private, or nonprofit entity by dona-
tion, transfer, exchange, or purchase from a willing seller. 
(d) TECHNICAL AND PRESERVATION ASSISTANCE.— 
The Secretary may provide public interpretation and tech-
nical assistance for the preservation of historic structures 
of, the maintenance of the cultural landscape of, and local 
preservation planning for, related historic and cultural re-
sources within the boundaries of the Park. 
(e) MANAGEMENT PLAN.—Not later than 3 fiscal 
years after the date on which funds are first made avail-
able to carry out this Act, the Secretary, in consultation 
with the State, shall complete a general management plan 
for the Park in accordance with— 
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(1) section 100502 of title 54, United States 
Code; and 
(2) any other applicable laws. 
(f) NO BUFFER ZONE CREATED.—Nothing in this 
Act, the acquisition of the land or an interest in land au-
thorized by this Act, or the management plan for the Park 
shall be construed to create buffer zones outside of the 
Park. That activities or uses can be seen, heard, or de-
tected from the acquired land shall not preclude, limit, 
control, regulate, or determine the conduct or manage-
ment of activities or uses outside of the Park. 
(g) EMINENT DOMAIN OR CONDEMNATION.—In car-
rying out this Act, the Secretary of the Interior may not 
use eminent domain or condemnation. 
(h) EFFECT.—Nothing in this Act modifies any au-
thority of the Federal Government to carry out Federal 
laws on Federal land located in the Park. 
Æ 
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