New Castle, Delaware Community History and Archaeology Program (nc-chap.org)

Are you interested in archaeology and history within Delaware? If this interests, you, listed below is information about the history and archaeology of New Castle, Delaware.

Recent NC CHAP Projects

30 The Strand recently sold! 

This beautiful home, originally built in the 1660's during the Dutch era and rebuilt c1826, housed or hosted royal governors, presidents, 'an angel of mercy', judges and ship captains!

Through New Castle to Freedom -- A Memorial Walk along James Lindsey Smith's Path to Liberation

The Hermitage and the Hermitage Natural Area Once the site of a historic mansion, it now features walking trails, an elementary school outdoor classroom, a native grass and wildflower pollinator meadow and an interesting forest with many "keystone species" important in maintaining our environment.

Some personal perspectives on the History of Fort Casimir and New Amstel. Visits to Amsterdam, Banff (Canada), San Juan (PR), and Cincinati, Ohio provide original 1656 documents and food for thought on our founders vs slavery and outrageous quotes about our early emigrants: "lazy as worms and stupid to boot, artisans who did not know their jobs"

Lectures on New Castle History. PDFs of slides from a series of fourteen lecture in 2015. Hundreds of interesting text slides and >650 supporting images about people, events, war, famine, portraits, pirates, religion, food, architecture, industry, women's dresses ...
Updated 2018 lectures

Rediscovered 1759 Portrait of Slator Clay Jr. of New Castle by John Hesselius was auctioned November 11, 2015.

The Battery(s) in Battery Park -- their purpose: protection against French and Spanish pirates, privateers; French and British warships, probable current location, and funding (via lottery!)

Portraits of the rich and powerful in New Castle (1750-1850).
Portraits of more than 40 people who lived within four blocks of each other, including four signers of the Declaration of Independence (2 from DE, 1 each from NJ & PA), governors, judges, state and U. S. senators, an opium merchant/Consul-General/son of a Signer and a Bishop of Virginia.

Packet Alley 
A children's book about New Castle (and history).

Resources: Online official records, laws, histories, census records, births, deaths, marriages, biographies, student theses and papers ...

Annotated Tax records for New Castle, 1776-1826 -- data on wealth, politics and religion! Tax records for the New Castle Constabulary, 1683. An easy to understand tax method.

The State of The Town in the 1890's: Promotional picture booklets produced by the N. C. Board of Trade (1mb) and the Commercial Club -- Ideal New Castle (4 mb).

The Alexander B. Cooper History of New Castle. Written in 1906-1908, this series of articles for the Sunday Star offers vignettes of early New Castle history, and glimpses of life there in the 1800's available nowhere else.

If you are looking for more archaeological and historical information about New Castle, Delaware please visit http://nc-chap.org/