Pittsfield

New Philadelphia, founded in 1836, is believed to be the first town in the United States legally registered and platted by an African American. Frank McWorter, a slave in Kentucky, bought his own freedom and that of immediate family with surplus funds earned from mining niter and processing saltpeter. He subsequently moved to Illinois and purchased the acreage that would become New Philadephia, selling lots to both African Americans and European Americans. With proceeds from those sales and other sources, McWorter eventually bought the freedom of a dozen more family members.

Just over a century after Free Frank founded the town of New Philadelphia, an act passed by the Senate and House, and signed by President Joe Biden, established the New Philadelphia National Historic Site as a unit of the National Park Service.

The rural community flourished at first, situated near major crossroads at the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers. But New Philadelphia fell into decline when the railroad bypassed it in 1869. Dissolved under an official order of 1885, over time the abandoned town reverted to open fields. 

Today you can visit the townsite of New Philadelphia.  The site includes interpretation and an augmented reality app that allows visitors to explore New Philadelphia as it looked in the 1830's and 1840s.

Built circa 1838

The hotel was built by William Watson one of the first settler’s in Pittsfield. Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas would gather in the lobby when they were in town. Later Watson would sell the hotel to Joel Pennington whose son Goyn became friends with John G. Nicolay. The hotel was a very active place. Rooms above with retail space below. By the late 1800s one could find lodging, a barber shop, blacksmith and tack shops.

Pittsfield is a unique community when it comes to Abraham Lincoln. Between 1838 and 1858 Abraham Lincoln visited Pike County and the Pittsfield community several times. During his visits he became friends with many local men and their families through politics and legal business.

In 2007 an effort was made by the Abe Lincoln Project/Looking for Lincoln in Pike County to mark several of these homes with waysides telling the story of the families that lived in the home and their relationship to Lincoln.

On behalf of the Abe Lincoln Project we invite you to take our Talking House Tour and learn the history of the families that knew Abraham Lincoln personally.

Built circa 1838

John Greene Shastid first encounter Abraham Lincoln while living in New Salem, Illinois. In 1836 he moved his family to Pittsfield, Illinois. When Lincoln was in town on legal business it is said that he always called on the Shastids.

In his book My Second Life Thomas Hall Shastid recalls a story about his grandfather (John) coming home with a dozen pigeons after a hunting trip. As the family waited for the pigeons to finish boiling the door to the home was suddenly pushed opened. There stood Abraham Lincoln who took the seat of honor at the table. Mrs. Shastid placed the plate of boiled pigeon in from of Lincoln. Lincoln was very talkative at first but later fell silent as he dove into the plate of pigeons. John Shastid motion to the rest of the family to not ask for any of the wild meat. With one pigeon left Lincoln reached out his fork and placed it on his plate and began to eat it.

As Lincoln ate the last pigeon young Tommy Shastid burst into tears, crying out, “Abe Lincoln you’re an old hog”.

A Looking for Lincoln Wayside