New Castle, Delaware

New Castle is a city in New Castle County, Delaware, six miles (10 km) south of Wilmington, situated on the Delaware River, at the head of Delaware Bay. In 1900, 3,380 people lived here; in 1910, 3,351. The population was 4,862 at the 2000 census.

History

New Castle, Delaware was originally settled by Swedes in 1640, followed by the Dutch in 1651, under Peter Stuyvesant on the site of a former Indian village, "Tomakonck" ("Place of the Beaver"). The original name of New Castle was Fort Casimir. This was changed to "Trefaldigheet" ("Trinity") following its capture by the Swedes on Trinity Sunday, 1654. After its recapture by the Dutch the following year, the name was changed to New Amstel. Under Sir Robert Carr, the British routed the Dutch in 1664 and changed the name to New Castle. The Dutch again seized the town in 1673 but it was returned to Great Britain the next year under the Treaty of Westminster. In 1673 it was conveyed to William Penn by the Duke of York and was Penn's landing place when he first set foot on American soil in 1682. This transfer to Penn was contested by Lord Baltimore and the boundary dispute was not resolved until the survey conducted by Mason and Dixon, now famed in history as the Mason-Dixon Line.

The spire on top of the Court House--Delaware's Colonial capital and first state house--was used as the radius of the 12-mile circle forming the northern boundary of Delaware and part of the Mason-Dixon Line which became the dividing mark between Delaware and her sister slave states and the free states of the north. The Delaware River within this radius to the low water mark on the opposite shore is part of Delaware. Thus the Memorial Bridge was built as an intrastate span by Delaware, without financial participation by neighboring New Jersey.

New Castle was the meeting place of all Colonial Assemblies, became the first state capital, and remained a county seat until after the Civil War. Three signers of the Declaration of Independence were from New Castle--Thomas McKean, George Read and George Ross.

New Castle was the eastern terminus of the New Castle and Frenchtown Railroad, the second oldest (1852) rail line in the country. It traversed the Delmarva peninsula, running to Elk River, Maryland, from where passengers changed to packet boats for further travel to Baltimore and points south.

A Sampling of Noteworthy Historic sites

Amstel House, 2 E. Fourth St. (~1730) Home of New Castle Historical Society
Booth House, SE corner Delaware St. & Third St. (~1750 but with many renovations since)
Gilpin House, 210 Delaware St. (One of town's oldest buildings, but three renovations over time have obscured original facade)
Immanuel Episcopal Church, on the Green. (1730)
Old New Castle Court House, opposite Gilpin House on Delaware St. Original colonial capitol; first state house of Delaware. Served as Court House until 1882, when county seat was moved to Wilmington.
Read House, On the Strand (1801). One of finest examples of Georgian architecture in America. (Admission charged).
Old "Dutch" House, (mid 17th century). Oldest dwelling in the state of Delaware. Presumably built during Dutch colonial period.
New Castle Academy, On the Green. (1708)
The Arsenal, On the Green. (1809)
Van Leuvenigh House, S.E. corner Delaware St. & The Strand. (~1677),
Kensey Johns House, 1 Third St., (1789)
Town Hall & Market Place, Corner 2nd St. & Delaware St. (1832)
Gunning-Bedford House, 6 The Strand, (~1730)
New Castle-Frenchtown RR Ticket House, Foot of Delaware St. (1832)
Old Presbyterian Church, Opposite Old Town Hall, (1707)
Janvier House, 208 Delaware St., (~1800)

"A DAY IN OLD NEW CASTLE" is held annually on the third Saturday in May. Historic homes and buildings are open to the public. Sponsored by Immanuel Church, for the restoration and preservation of historic church buildings. Take the opportunity to immerse yourself in the life of a colonial capital and river port. Advance ticket prices (as of May, 2006): Adults $15.; children 6 to 16, $10; children under 6, free. Day of event ticket prices: Adults $15; children 6 to 16, $10; children under 6, free. To order tickets: Call toll-free--1-866-468-7619. For general information, call 1-877-496-9498 or visit the website www.dayinoldnewcastle.org.

Geography

New Castle is located at (39.664712, -75.565392)GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.2 km² (3.2 mi²). 7.9 km² (3.0 mi²) of it is land and 0.3 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (3.79%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 4,862 people, 2,012 households, and 1,339 families residing in the city. The population density was 615.5/km² (1,594.6/mi²). There were 2,199 housing units at an average density of 278.4/km² (721.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 77.48% White, 20.20% African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 0.84% from other races, and 0.84% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.41% of the population.

There were 2,012 households out of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.1% were married couples living together, 14.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.4% were non-families. 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the city the population was spread out with 21.8% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 27.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 88.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $52,449, and the median income for a family was $56,368. Males had a median income of $40,153 versus $31,571 for females. The per capita income for the city was $24,052. About 3.9% of families and 5.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.8% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education

New Castle is served by the Colonial School District and the New Castle Public Library [http://www.newcastlepublic.lib.de.us/.

External links

City of New Castle homepage
New Castle Historical Society homepage

The Kalmar Nyckel Foundation & Tall Ship Kalmar Nyckel.

Cities in Delaware | New Castle County, Delaware