Illinois Preservation

1. MOLINE HIGH SCHOOL- Moline, Il- was slated for demolition, but now will be saved and converted to new uses.

2. NEW PHILADELPHIA, near St. Louis, may no longer exist, but it has one of the more interesting stories of any Illinois town. It was started by an ex-slave called Free Frank who had been a slave in South Carolina for 42 years. He purchased his freedom and that of his wife, and moved to Illinois where, in 1836, he bought 600 acres of land in Pike County and founded New Philadelphia for blacks.

It is located near Griggsville, Illinois, the Purple Martin Capital of the US, an interesting story in itself.

GREAT NEWS- it has been added to the National Register of Historic Places. You can find out more about it at: www.newphiladelphia.org or www.freefrank.org . This is a mighty interesting story.

While coming back from the Munger-Moss Motel anniversary celebration last June, I was able to get out to the site, where a lot of archaeological work is underway. If you've ever had the hankering to get your hands dirty digging into history, this would be a great place to visit.

Good News from Illinois. --RoadDog