BARRY – An analysis of New Philadelphia’s role in history will be the focus of the annual Marvin J. and Thomas Leo Lykes Lecture Series, held each Tuesday in June.
The 20th anniversary Likes Lecture Series will begin on June 4 with a talk by Dr. Jackie Land and Dr. Brooke Morgan, “An Overview of the Pre-Contact Period in Western Illinois.”
They will talk about Native Americans and archaeological areas of the early historic period, especially those associated with the Illinois, Missouri, and Mississippi rivers. They will also discuss archaeological sites near Barry and the New Philadelphia National Historical Park.
New Philadelphia occupies approximately 80 acres in Pike County and was once the site of the first town in the United States to be platted and legally registered, by African-American Free Frank McWhorter. It became part of the National Park System in 2023.
The Lykes Lecture Series began in 2004 to honor surveyor Marvin Lykes and his son Tom, who contributed so much to the subsequent development of New Philadelphia.
The theme of this year’s series is “Likes Lectures, 20th Year and Growing.” The lectures will take place on Zoom at 7 p.m. The lectures are free and open to the public, but registration is required. For a link to the program, visit bit.ly/likes2024 or email newphiladelphiail@gmail.com.
Other scheduled presentations include:
June 11: “The Last Fugitive Slave Seeking Freedom: The Story of Archer Alexander.” Doris Keeven Franke tells the true story of Alexander, who risked his life to save others after overhearing his slave master planning to destroy a Union railroad bridge. He was taken in by abolitionists in Missouri as slave patrols pursued him to St. Louis.
Alexander would later be chosen to represent the heroism and sacrifice of all freed slaves at the Emancipation Memorial in Washington, DC.
June 18: “The Springfield Massacre of 1908 and the Birth of the NAACP.” Presented by Dr. Brian Mitchell, director of research and interpretation at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, this program explores whether there may have been other reasons for the riot, often attributed to a false allegation of rape.
June 25: “Branches of Consumption: Analyzing New Philadelphia’s Material Culture Across Rural and Racial Boundaries.” Dr. Kati Fay, program coordinator at the Denver Botanic Gardens in Denver, Colorado, and former New Philadelphia graduate student and excavation team leader, will present findings from her doctoral dissertation project on the Louisa Clark McWhorter Mansion Site.
Fay will tell the story of the Clark family, Louisa’s life, and the family she built with Squire McWhorter through her own firsthand excavations and her interpretation of how New Philadelphia fit into society at large at the time.
