… our Regiment marched to new Castle, the county-town of New Castle County (Delaware). We took out of the Court-House all the insignias of Monarchy, - all the baubles of Royalty, and made a pile of them before the Court-House, - set fire to them and burnt them to ash...
- Captain Enoch Anderson, Delaware Regiment
July 1776
New Castle Court House, built 1732 (shown in 1925). Collection of the New Castle Historical Society
Birthplace of Delaware’s Independence
People from Delaware and New Castle were deeply involved in the struggle of American independence during the second half of the eighteenth century. New Castle residents served in the Continental Congress, Delaware Assembly, Delaware Regiment of the Continental Army and local militia companies. Others served in political office or worked on committees of the independence movement.
On June 15, 1776, shortly before the Declaration of Independence was approved, Delaware’s Assembly met at the New Castle Court House and voted to separate from Pennsylvania, break ties with Great Britain, and establish Delaware as an independent state. Delaware celebrates “Separation Day” in New Castle each June with a parade, entertainment, and fireworks.
On July 14, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was first read aloud to the people of Delaware from the balcony of the New Castle Court House. Captain Enoch Anderson of the Delaware Regiment described his arrival in New Castle in July 1776 in this way:
… our Regiment marched to new Castle, the county-town of New Castle County (Delaware). We took out of the Court-House all the insignias of Monarchy, - all the baubles of Royalty, and made a pile of them before the Court-House, - set fire to them and burnt them to ash...
For the next year, New Castle was Delaware’s State capital. The capital moved to Dover when the British Army threatened to attack this region during its march to capture Philadelphia.
Model, New Castle Whipping Post & Pillory
1869
This model was made by a prisoner in the New Castle jail which was part of the New Castle Court House complex. According to a contemporary newspaper account, the model is made from the remnants of the original whipping post and pillory, and the artist was convicted of a crime and sentenced to be either whipped or placed in the pillory, or both. The base of the pillory platform is labeled “Delaware Justice.”
New Castle Historical Society, 1900.0985.0001
Gift of Mrs. Francis deHaes Janvier
Soldiers & Statesmen
New Castle was Delaware’s original government powerhouse. Walking these streets means walking the same paths as men who literally invented the state.
Learn more about some of these men in the gallery below.
