# New Philadelphia National Historical Park Act

This bill creates a new national historical park in New Philadelphia, Ohio, to preserve and protect the historic site of a community founded by formerly enslaved African Americans in the early 1800s. The park would be managed by the National Park Service, the same federal agency that runs places like Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon, but instead of natural wonders, this park would focus on telling an important but often overlooked story from American history.

New Philadelphia was established in 1825 by a free Black man named Richard Eaton and became a thriving community where African Americans could own land and build lives during a time when most Black people in America were enslaved. The town eventually disappeared, but archaeological work has uncovered evidence of the homes, businesses, and lives that existed there. By designating it as a national historical park, the government would fund research, preservation efforts, and public education about this remarkable community and what it represents about African American resilience and achievement.

For visitors and history enthusiasts, this means a new destination where people can learn about an important chapter of American history that's rarely taught in schools. For the local community in Ohio, it could bring tourism, jobs, and economic development to the area. The park would likely include visitor facilities, interpretive programs, and ongoing archaeological work to uncover more about the people who lived there. This is essentially the government saying that this story matters enough to preserve and share with future generations as part of our national heritage.

New Philadelphia National Historical Park Act

Durbin, Richard J.

New Philadelphia National Historical Park Act This bill establishes the New Philadelphia National Historical Park in Illinois as a unit of the National Park System. The purposes of the park are to (1) protect, preserve, and interpret the many significant aspects of the park; and (2) coordinate preservation and interpretation activities with Illinois and other public and nonpublic entities through cooperative agreements entered into under this bill. The park shall consist of the approximately 124.33 acres of land within the boundary generally identified as Legislative Boundary on the map titled New Philadelphia National Historic Site Proposed Boundary and dated July 2021. The Lincoln Home National Historic Site in Illinois shall be responsible for the management and operations of the park. The Department of the Interior may enter into cooperative agreements with Illinois or other entities under which Interior may identify, interpret, and provide assistance for the preservation of nonfederal land within the park's boundaries and at sites in close proximity to the park but located outside its boundaries. Interior may acquire for inclusion in the park any land and interests in land (including any buildings and structures) by donation, purchase, or exchange. Any land owned by Illinois or a political subdivision of Illinois may be acquired for inclusion in the park only by donation. Interior shall complete a general management plan for the park.