Many ideas have been proposed for the future development of the New Philadelphia Site into a place where visitors could come and learn about the history and national significance of the town and its inhabitants. In the image above, Prof. Abdul Alkalimat (Gerald McWorter) talks with local and descendant community members about the important lessons to be conveyed about the legacies of the McWorter family, the many families who lived in New Philadelphia, and the history of the region.
In addition to the ideas discussed by members of the descendant and local communities and the New Philadelphia Association, the Archaeological Conservancy has agreed to acquire and conserve a portion of the town site. The Conservancy, established in 1980, is a national non-profit organization dedicated to acquiring and preserving the best of our nation's archaeological sites. Learn more about the Conservancy from their web site. The Conservancy also sponsors American Archaeology, which published an article on New Philadelphia written by Malcolm Gay in 2008.
Please browse through the information below and feel free to leave comments on each of the proposed designs. Or, if you have any other ideas for the future of the New Philadelphia Site, we would love to hear them!
Some proposed ideas for the future of the New Philadelphia Archaeological Site:
1) Construct a pioneer village, similar to the reconstruction at New Salem Illinois
2) Create a walking trail through the site guided by interpretive signs and outlined building foundations, similar to the those at Jamestown, Virgina.
3) Establish an interpretive center in the Burdick House. This center would display artifacts, photographs, historic documents, and other items and would serve as a gathering place for workshops, lectures, multi-media presentations, and community meetings.
4) Create a recreational park. This park could be used for sporting activities and provide picnic facilities for visitors, while also having a trail and information provided about the history and archaeology of the site.
5) Establish an archaeological preserve. This option would allow for no changes to the site; it would be left as it is today in order to better preserve the archaeological remains of the town.
COMING SOON! Comment boxes for you to leave your thoughts on each of the proposed ideas for future development or to propose a new one!
Information about the different options for the town site come from a survey performed by Charlotte King, the results of which are in the document entitled "Preservation Strategies for the Archaeological Site of New Philadelphia, Illinois." If you would like more information about the survey or its results, please contact us!
Do you have thoughts or questions on possible future development of the town site? We are also now on Facebook! Follow this link to join in our discussions.
You can also see our Flickr page for pictures and the opportunity to leave your own comments or questions on them.
In addition, you can follow our updates through Twitter. Follow this link to scan through our updates, which include news in archaeology as well as about our project, and click here to join Twitter and contribute your own messages.
