New Castle, New Hampshire

New Castle is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, USA. The population was 1,010 at the 2000 census. The smallest town in New Hampshire, and the only one located entirely on islands, it is home to Fort Constitution Historic Site, Fort Stark Historic Site, and the New Castle Common, a 31 acre recreation area on the Atlantic Ocean. New Castle is also home to a United States Coast Guard station, as well as the historic Wentworth-by-the-Sea Hotel.

History

The largest of several islands in the mouth of the Piscataqua River, the town was orginially called "Great Island." Settled in 1623, an earthwork defense was soon built on Frost Point, "made with certain great guns to it." Named Fort William and Mary, it would be rebuilt in 1808 as Fort Constitution. Chartered in 1679 as a parish of Portsmouth, Great Island would be incorporated as a town in 1693, called "New Castle" after the fort. At one time it included Rye, set off in 1719. New Castle was the seat of early provincial governors, including the tyrannical Edward Cranfield, for whom a street is named. The principal businesses on the island were trade, tavern-keeping and fishing. There was also some agriculture, using the shoreline's abundant seaweed as fertilizer.

Beginning on June 11, 1682, New Castle experienced an alleged supernatural event -- a "Lithobolia," or "Stone-Throwing Devil," recorded in a 1698 London pamphlet by Richard Chamberlain. On a Sunday night at about 10 o'clock, the tavern home of George Walton, a planter, was showered with stones thrown "by an invisible hand." Windows were smashed, and the spit in the fireplace leapt into the air, then came down with its point stuck in the back log. When a member of the household retrieved the spit, it flew out the window of its own accord. The gate outside was discovered off its hinges. Rev. Cotton Mather took an interest in the phenomenon, reporting that:

"This disturbance continued from day to day; and sometimes a dismal hollow whistling would be heard, and sometimes the trotting and snorting of a horse, but nothing to be seen.... A man was much hurt by some of the stones. He was a Quaker, and suspected that a woman, who charged him with injustice in detaining some land from her did, by witchcraft, occasion these preternatural occurences. However, at last they came to an end."

Fort William and Mary was the site of one of the first acts of the American Revolution. On December 14, 1774, colonists arrived at midnight aboard a "gundalow" (sailing barge), waded ashore and climbed over the fort's wall. Captain John Cochran and the fort's five soldiers surrendered, whereupon the rebels loaded onto the boat 100 barrels of gunpowder. As a gesture of chivalry, they returned to Cochran his sword -- with which he then lunged at them. Nevertheless, the boat was rowed up the Piscataqua River to Durham, where the ammunition was stored in the cellar of the Congregational Church. The next day, the colonists returned to the fort and removed 15 of the lighter cannon and all small arms. The gunpowder was used at the 1775 Battle of Bunker Hill.

A new route to the island was created in 1821, when three bridges (now two bridges and a causeway) were built to connect Frame Point in Portsmouth with the northwestern corner of Great Island. Previously, a bridge on the southwestern point had been the only way to reach New Castle without a boat. The community was then an overlooked fishing village, which helped preserve its colonial architecture. However, in 1874 the Hotel Wentworth was built atop a hill with a view of Little Harbor and the ocean. After early financial difficulties, the establishment was purchased and elaborately refurbished in Second Empire style by Portsmouth alemaker, Frank Jones. It became the area's most fashionable resort, growing in size until it was a village unto itself. President Theodore Roosevelt would mediate the 1905 Treaty of Portsmouth to end the Russo-Japanese War, with dignitaries from both countries staying at the Wentworth, and commuting daily by boat to negotiations held at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.

Wentworth-by-the-Sea would later be bought and closed by developers who wanted to raze it, a plan which met public resistance. For years it deteriorated in limbo behind a chain-link fence. Birds flew in and out of broken windows. The building was even used as a ghostly setting for the 1999 movie, In Dreams. More recently, however, the Wentworth has been thoroughly and expensively restored.

Historic Sites & Museums:

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 6.2 km² (2.4 mi²). 2.1 km² (0.8 mi²) of it is land and 4.0 km² (1.5 mi²) of it (65.13%) is water. New Castle, a cluster of islands, is surrounded by both the Piscataqua River and Atlantic Ocean. The highest point of land is located at the Wentworth-by-the-Sea, where the elevation reaches 60 feet (18 meters) above sea level. Bos'n's Hill is a summit on the western side of the island where the elevation is approximately 50 feet (15 meters).

Demographics

As of the census ² of 2000, there were 1,010 people, 443 households, and 314 families residing in the town. The population density was 469.8/km² (1,222.6/mi²). There were 488 housing units at an average density of 227.0/km² (590.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.82% White, 0.59% African American, 0.50% Asian, and 1.09% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.50% of the population.

There were 443 households out of which 22.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.6% were married couples living together, 5.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.1% were non-families. 23.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.65.

In the town the population was spread out with 17.8% under the age of 18, 3.4% from 18 to 24, 20.8% from 25 to 44, 34.0% from 45 to 64, and 24.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 50 years. For every 100 females there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $83,708, and the median income for a family was $93,290. Males had a median income of $57,375 versus $35,568 for females. The per capita income for the town was $67,695. None of the families and 0.6% of the population were living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and none of those over 64.

References

Brewster, Charles W., Rambles About Portsmouth; C.W. Brewster & Son; Portsmouth, NH, 1859

External links