A Brief History of New Castle, Delaware
Early Settlement and Dispute:
New Castle’s history is fascinating,
as it is driven primarily by coincidences.
It began in the 1650s when a dispute occurred between the Swedish and
the Dutch over the land. Peter
Stuyvesant, Governor of New Netherland, built Fort Casimir on the land that he
purchased from the Native Americans.
What he later discovered, when hostility arose, was that this same land
had already sold by the native peoples to Peter Minuet, representing the
Swedish crown, in 1638. In 1654, the
fort was captured by the Swedish and renamed Fort Trinity; but it was only a
year before the Dutch gained control of the fort once more.
However,
in 1663, all of this area became English territory. In 1664, King Charles II granted this land to Duke James of York
–and the name was changed from New Amstel to New Castle. While the 
land
was under 
English
order for many years, it was eventually recaptured by the Dutch in 1673.
Point from where arch was drawn
The Benefits of English Control:
|
Point from where arch was drawn |
The ten-year period when New Castle was under English control was a fortunate mishap for the town. During this time, the English established a colonial court, resurveyed the streets, drained marshes for better land and built dykes to help stop flooding. All of this led to a stronger and more stable town, giving it the ability to play a prominent role in colonial history. However, this rebuilding effort decreased the military character of the town.
The prominence of New Castle lay in its setting along the Delaware River. This led to easy access for trading and commerce. Because of this, the town became a seat of government, and eventually the capital of Delaware. In fact, in 1681, a 12-mile arc was drawn around the town court to mark the New Castle County border.
Disaster, Rebuilding and Final (Mis)fortune:
For many years, the town was a
center for commerce, surpassing Wilmington and competitive with
Philadelphia. However, in 1824, with
the fire that destroyed the George Read I House and many other homes on the
Strand (the main street on the waterfront) the commercial industry was forced
to turn to the railroad. This supported
the town for some time. Small iron and
textile factories were built in addition to a gas and water works and many new
houses for workers.
Unfortunately, when
Wilmington replaced out New Castle in 1881 as the county seat, the town lost
its recognition and commerce began to decline.
The Pennsylvania Railroad was built, but its route did not include the
once important town of New Castle.
Finally, in the 1950s the Delaware Memorial Bridge provided an alternate
route to New Jersey that also bypassed the town.
-Researched
by: Amy Cunningham
