Stories of Old New Castle
•
• •
• •
.'
Compiled by ANNE R. JANVIER Stories of Old New Castle
In the number and variety of namcs bestowed upon this little lawn of New Castle. we read the history of the place . • It begins when the milld of man "runneth 110t to the con trary; this Indian village on the !.>..,nks of the stream of which Aresapha is the most mclodious name and Mackerish-Kittoll the worst. The village they called T3ma konck (place of the Bea\'er) the Indian deed for this is still extant. A few more of the names which meant home to tllOSC who dwelt on this poiTlt of land, were Sand hukcn, Grape Vine Point, Windruffe-uddcn, Ft. Casimir, Fe Traf.ddighects (or Trinity Fort), Ft. Casimir again, New Amstcl. New Castle. The River besides the naJllcs mentioned was called the Poutaxat, Lenni!>i Whittock. the Zuydt or South River, (in distinction from the l'\orth River or the Hudson) , and lastly the Delaware. On Augusr, 28, 1609, the first ship winged its way up the river. The Half Moon, with Hendrick Hudson looking for the North \Vest Passage to China-on past this sandy hook jutting out intu the great river. The Indians of the Lenni-Lenape tribe were peacefully fi shing and plying their canoes. The Half Moon sailed swiftly down again without landing here, having decided that this \\'as no thoroughfare to China. Upon such slight grounds as this hasty trip with twu temporary scttlements, one at Swaanendalc and one at Ft. Nassau, rt!Sts the Dutch claim to the whole Delaware River and shores and hy this was the claim of Lord Baltimore refuted, his grant calling for land not previously settled. The Swedes came up lhe ri ver in 1638. As to when they really landed here there is some doubt. Some historians claim that the Fredenllllrgcstablished a colony here on Nov. 2nd, 16..\0. " being 3 Swedish miles frOlll Ft. Christina." • There was almost certainly a hamlet here of Swedes and Dutch mingling and fig-hting when Governor Petrus Stuyvesanl decided lo bui ld a fort here to assert the Dutch possession. The Swedes already had olle furt above and olle below hut this was a commanding position and Stuyvesant's efficient eye had been c"Hlght hy the site ..... hen he I)'''lid a visit of remonstrance to the Swedish Governor, Johann Printz, at Tinnicum .
I lie named the fOrl Casimir, which C'd.used some crilicir.m as which we are told, all his ac(]Uainlances forc\'cr "considercd him Casimir was n Swedish noble. There is a drawing of Fort as a shoe- ra"." Casimir by the Swedish engineer Lindstrom printed in 1702. Gov. Stuyvesant. stilting 011 his wooden leg, no doubt had It is a sturdy litlle forI huilt of logs planted far oul on the shore; his tonguc in his check as the Swedes marched out "bullet in the now the river has made in and washed away the site. A marker mouth" for no sooncr werc they Oll t, than S tuyves.."lut demanded erected by the Colonial Dames in Delaware marks the approxi " Where go you?" "Ft. C hristina" s.."1}"S Schute. "'l\"ay," So."lys matc spot. StuY\'esalll, "it is not so written," and clapped a ll into prison Gerrit Bikker was placed in command and it was fortified amidst the laughtcr o f the Dutch. Poor outwitted "Shoe-rag." wilh cannon, becoming the centre of Dutch power south of Stuyvcsant remained here long enough to rellame the fort :Xc\\' Amsterdam. S tuyvesant and the Swedish Governor, Casimir. and the to\\'Il , which he bid Olll with care, he t."llled Printz, had Jllany interviews here, some peaceful, many 1I0t. :\ew Amstel: to bc his CilY on the South Ri\·er. as New Amster Printz had a romantic life. and was a just and able Governor. dam was on the North. \)(' Vries ~
2 3 The first bridge oyer the I-Iorse Dyke was built; a smith, a wheelwright and a carpenter came, the first mill was built Oil with large fami lies of rosy childrt!n, li\'ing the pleasant life of Chestnut St. by Arnoldus de La Grange in \68 1. work and plenty of the Colonies. T hey ha\·e left their infl uence . A Dutch \\"~ite r assures the world that '· ma~l Y an epicure of clcan heritage upon the life of our communi t}'. will feast on caviare from New Amstel sturgeons. ' 'I'll E COLoRT HOUSE StllY\ ' ~U lt was d irected to buy up all the la nd po~ible between the Sou th and Korth Ri vers. .'\e\·crtheless, he was The Court I louse ill :\'ew Castle is undoubtedly one of the cautioned nOl 10 be too zealous in his cfforts for Xew Amstc1 oldest State buildings in the Country. Its stalel y archi tecture as its rapid grO\\ th might draw settlers from :\ew Amsterda m. and mellow beauty of color and line aUraet the attention of even New York pro]).,-,bl}' is relieycd of this anxiet y at present. the casual \'i:;itor and to those who search for d etails of history By the end of 1657 New AmSlel was a goodly town of 100 it appears among the noblest of our historic remains. houses. But in the i)utch records many troubles appear. SWl.'(lcs The east wi ng was the origi nal Court Hou,;c and shxxl a lone. and Dutdl, jealous of each other and both afraid of the English, It was built about 16;5 and as the tablet on the wall (erected by for thc English were 011 the lookout for territory. the Colonial Dames of Delaware) wi ll tell you, was the building A illall was killed by the Indians in New Castle in 1660, the in which \Villiam Penn \\as receivL'f1 and welcomed on October wife died, leaving a littlc girl. The tOWll of New Amstc1 formallv 28, 1682. "The \\'ekomc" certainly reached New Castlc on adopted her, naming her the " J-f opeof Amstel or AmSlel's I lope,;' October 27th and on the next dav Penn landed at the foo t of the the rlrst mention of care of orphans in early colonial history. main st ree1 and was hailed with'acdaim. lie was met by John Alrick, the Dutch Vicc-(;ovcrnor, who has been criticised 1\·10 11 and 1': phrialll Il erman and marched directly to the Court for his scycrity, did Jl1l1C'h for the town, he built thc first wharf Ilou,..;c. at the foot of Chestnut Strcet, which strcct led to the Bowerie, They g-ave Penn "the key thercof to lock upon himself alone as the great oak wood carpeted with flowers, was called (now the door, which being open by him again we did deliver unto him, J anviers and Rogers \\'ood.) 1 turf with a twi g upon it, a porringer with river water and sovle
His successor. D'llilloyossa, wa~ very unpopular for his inp.,'of.11. 0 cruelty and New Amstel bore a bad namc. It was reported 1hat The ceremony was hrief but perforll1~1 in a most solemn "the !:pins and wickedness in l\"cw Amstel werc so great that 111 manner. Pcnn made a short addres..... lie certainly spent the the waters of the great river could not wash thcm out." night. Oct. 27t h, in New Castle hut whether on his ship or as Thc Dutch ru le e.-:isted until 1664 , Sept. ,{O, when Col. tradition say,;, in the small house nearly opposite the Court Nichols, being Englil>h Go\·ernor, sent Sir RohL Carr, Knigh t, House is not certain. i\ 1r. Cooper say,; in his history, " This wi th 2 frigrucs, one of them ''The (;uinea'·. They came li p the tradit ion carries marks of verit y. It was l.lenn's first visit, of river !lying the Engli~h Colors to establish English SO\·ereigniry. R'ra\·e im rx}f tance to him a nd 10 the town and it would he strange T hc people were for yielding at once, they cared liule who wa~ not to spend the night in consultat ion with thc officials." king so long: as the to\\ n was not shelled for it lay at the mercy In 1669 there had heen a n insurrection against the English of the English broadsides. But D'Hinoyo;,,;a, .,\lrick, and Van headCfI hy \' e I.ong Ffinnc who gave his name as Koningsma rck S\\eringen, DU1Ch officials, threw themselycs into the fort and and his anccstry a~ the noble Count J(oning~marck. Hc was the refused to come to terms. The town suffered much from Ihis talleit and handsomc:.t man in the colonies and he was the illtimed re!:pis tance, .\11 was sackCfI and plundered. Soldiers accomplicc of Armegot Print z "The Proud Lady of Tinnecum." sold into slavcry leaving, in the words of Van Sweringen, "not Together 1hcy made quite a rebcllion, but the Long Ffin ne was even a nail." c\·crything of \'aluc was confiscated. brought to just icc and tried ht!re in the Court House. At this timc under these Duteh officials occurred Ihe first It made a stir at the time but his trial must he forever criminal ca:se of which records have been preserved, Jansen Clit famous, being the first tria! by jury on the Delaware--166Q. ()ff a finger of Geritt Herman, fur which he must pay Il erman and Tried and COll\icted of " Riotus, Routous and unlawful conduct," work on I he fort for 6 weeks. he was sentcnccd to be pub!ickly and sC\'erely whipt branded The Dutch and Swedes, too, were traders mon~ than farmers in the face with the Icltet R a nd sent a slave to the Barbadoes and spent their cncrgy 011 fur trading and tobacco export: but or somc remoter Plantacion. It i ~ related that his arms wcre they, the SWI."lles eSpc!:'ia l1 y, were a fine race. Denkers and fastened to the pillars of the Court ll ou~e and the courtroom was Slu yter in their journal ,;pcak of the Dutch and Swedish homes filled with fumes of burning flesh from the branding- (Scharfs History).
5 King C harles of England haying pr~~nlcd this Colony to \\lil1 i" m Penn. there was a question whether New Castle was in· eluded in this gran t. so a sepa rate gran t ,\as issued of New Castle , a nd 12 miles a round it, measured from the ci ty of New Ca:;t le. This I:; the origin of the 12 mile circle the arc of which is the top of Delaware. " What is this 12 mile circle? What its history? This is not t he place to lell of the intricate history of that Arc. Suffice it to say that in 1701 it was marked out from "Vc Horse Dyke" by Empson and Pusey -agai n surveyed by David Rittenhouse in 1760, this lime by order of l.Qnl Ilardwickc, Chancellor of England . who d«ided that the cell i re should be the Court Housc. New ('a:tlle at this time (sa.ys A. B. Cooper) was the SClL t of go\crn Inent and the only well known town in Penn's pos,-,;(,"S.<;iOilS the only lown well and accurately known in England, It was therefore inserted as the given poin t a round which to run the circle to determine the nort hern boundary of the three lower cOllnties, In 1763 I\lason ami DixOll re-suf\'eyecl it and did not vary one inch in the survey , To continue \\ith the Cuurt House: The ('entre bu il ding was crected in 1701 and the west wing was enlarged and made fire proof about 1840, L' ntil 17 77 when w the State Capi tol was remo\"cd to I)o\'er, this was the Statc Housc •o and the ~cne of many famOlI'; triab, ilfterwards thc County o r Court lIoUM! until the Courts were Illo\'cd to \\"ilminglon in l 1880, since Ihen it has been u"ed for City purpu»cs ami for the •o schools, o T his Court I louse was not only the Stale Hou::>c of the thret: u lower l ount Ie:. on Delaware, but in connL'Ct ion wit h Pennsyh'ania, w r the Gencral thscmbl } often met here, :o.lany stirring words havc I- echoed from these walls, no douht ollr St!lh'lra t ioTl from Penn was hitterly (li sC LI ssed here : our repudiation of Lord n altinlore's claims wa!; here more than once thc subjcct of acrimonious dis pute, A tiery letter sig-ned " j\ Freeman" was distributed July 7,1774: "Shall we now Oc inacti\'e :tnd silent! Forbid it Libert\': • let Ilumanity forbid it. You arc earne"tl), requestcd to meet ;It the Court llnuse on \\"ed" June 19, Let nonC" he absent who have a regard for their Country," It i.., imlX1l>.... ihle tl) mention the in numerahlc thrilling e,'ents which ha\-e I",ken place under Ihis roof. Here our S la te was named in August , 17i6, Here wa." the case tried which caused impeachmcnt proceedin~" again..;,t Chief Justicc Chase Here \\"eresc\'eral exciting trials a t the time of the Civil \\'ar, but 110\\ only city cases arc tried here, Thc name of the town was 110W 7\e\\ Cast\c, says Knicker bocker "as it nc\'er was new and bad no castle": but it was prob ahly namL't1 fmlll the English Slalesmnn of Ihat day, In I\lay, 1672 "Ye town of ,\lew Castle was incorporated ;JS a fhlywick," Go\"erned hy Capt. John Cnrr and six assif,tallb. I , I Will. Tom being one, " that ye English laws according to the dc sire of the inhauitants be established in ye 10\\'l1e." Capt. Carr \\,illiaJ)l Penn always took a I'opecial interest in Xcw Castle regulated the laws and evidently thinking 1113.t strOllg drink was ,,-nel its inhahitants. He at fir~t thought of locating his Capi tol a disturhing clement. he allowed only J T appers or retailers and herc and perhaps the location would ha\'c been superior. The one guilder a ('an (38 cents) was the price for strong liquor. Ed crowning act of his life in Delaware and one for which New Castle mund Cantwell was Sheriff. he lived on Vc Strande, was it sur will alwavs revere his rnemorv wa~ the issue of the warrant for veyor and hlid out many lot.:;, The Dutch and Englis h hein~ at the s ur\'e-y of 1000 acres o f la-1ll1 for the use of the town. Penn war anri (he English ha\-ing rc\-er.;cs, the Colonics ('choed this confirmed the u,;e of these lands and defim.'(1 their cxtent on Oct. by again changing rulers in ~ew Castle, htH after a few months 3 1st. 1 iOI "for a commun for the use of the inhabitants of the of Du teh rule, the Eng! ish by t rea ty, 167..J-, again gaiot.'(\ possession T own of New Castle. In 1764 Pelln's heirs appointed trustees of New Castle and held it until the Revolution. to guard this land for the [leOple and prcvent encroachments. Many of our faurds were lost and burned after I iOO, T rustees as named wcre J oh II Finney, Richard J\kWilliam, 1)a viel perhaps the Eng li ~h did not keep the itelTl~ as did the careful Fi nney, Thos. M cKean. C. Read, C. Munro, John Van Gezel. O utdl. Some records had perhaps heen better lost. Gov. L. Van Leu\'enigh. Slator Clay. John Yeats. -"athanic1 Silsbee. Gookin under Penn who ga"c a piece of ~ih'er to Immanuel D . l\lacCollcn. Robert :'I iorriSOIl ··(reprc:.cntative men of the Church. was certainly an impulsive character. one record tclls town). us that because the Supreme Court at :\"ew Castle did not act This land was dcede
10 FIRE CO. The Union Fire Co. was organized in 1 i96. a H)luntcer organization with 29 members. S46S.00 was sub:-;cribed, 20 leather bucket:-; were bough t and A. Alexander and John l3 ird were appoin ted a commiUee 10 purchase an engine for which they coHce-ted S400.00 Among: t he early otTlccrs were: Prcs., J ames Booth: Sec., 0. Morrison : Tho:-;. 13 0n(1. G. Pcirl·e, T. Turner, N. \ 'an Dyke, King, \\'alra\en, ~kCa lmon t , Frazier, Rowman, 1\1. Kennedy, Jamcs Riddle, Evan Thomas, Caleb Bennett, Kensc)' John:-;, Cole... herry, \\'. Armstrong. Cha ric;; Thomas, john j am'ier, :\1:lgens, j ohn CrO\\-, Ilugh Ritchie, j acob Belleville, j. Panton, Christopher \\'eaver, ,\lex. DUllcan. I n April. 18H, New Ca'itle was \isited by the most di:-;astrous lire in it« hi", lory, re"ul ting in a los:. which was said to be SIOO,OOO, The nre started in the stables of what is nO\,- the Jeffer:-;(l11 House, then the property of .l ame:! Riddle. It \\as said hoys made the flrc to warm some puppic;; hut it has been sugge"ted l hal the new steamhoat \\ hich tay immediatel y behind t his stable t hrew ou t sparks, which started the fire. The engine was run with \\·()O(I and Ihe lale!\lr. j. H . Rogers in ad vancing t his t heo ry say~ the s table was full of hay a nd that t he t-,par ks poured ou t of the !;Tlloke :-;tack when they fired up. Before t he fi re was controlle<1 it burned 111 0st of the S trand and on the Strand were the olde!'. t and most im portant houses of thc town: t he whole s tn..'Ct was burne<1 with the exception of three houses until the nre reached the large Read 1-loll»C, there t he lire was checked hut t he loss in building", fur ni ture and pricele s:-; !>"pers was irrep<:l rable. The hom;c of (;eorge Read , lhe Signf'r, was hurnt. The house of Caleb Bennett, CO\·ernor. al present Captain Carrison's, was spared. Among t he suhscriptions received to repair t he fi re loss wat-, one frum Boston which sen-cd 10 return the gift of friendship which !Xc", Castle had s howI! that city in 1i7~. During t he enforcement of the Port Bill :\i.hola:; \ 'an Dyke and Ceorge Read ('oHected $900.00 and forwarded it (as from one prosperous seaport 10wn to another) for the relief of the sufferer;:;. Roston in 1824 iSCn t a liberal response to the call for aid and soon the m;;jority of the buildings werc replaced. The late Mr. J. II. Rogers ha:-; left a \'i"id picture of the lire. This lire i!; not to be confused with the fire a lXJu t 100 years earl ier, which burned the house of t he magistrate, John French, corner of Strand and Delaware Sts., tllU;; dest roying many I'aluahle Court Records. This property \Ias known as thc "Burnt l.ot" until thc Farmers l3 ank was built there in 1845. ~ow the home of Francis del-lac;; jall\ ier. The ·'G()()Ci \ritt " Firc Engi ne was purchasoo in 18H ancl was in iJ;; day a powerful machinc. A force of 30 men was re quiretl to work the lel·crs and it lhrel'· a st ream 15 feet o,·cr the
10 highest spire in town. This was used until t885 when the "Humane" was bought, with hook and ladder attachment. In 1887 a Silsby enginc, costing $3400, was bought. At the present time the Fire Company is one of the best volunteer Fire Cos. in the State, owning an up to dale equipment and a fine Am bulance. THE STRAND The old name, "Ye Strand", given in the Jays when the row of houses facing the river had before them a strip of sandy heach, gi\"cs one an idea what to expect. To feel the calm and quiet of the olden days onc should visit the Strand on a golden afternoon in summer when the stately elms and tall maple;; throw their softly 1ll00'illg shadows on the lillle, crooked, cobhle-stone street; on the worn brick pavements and on the mcllO\v Ceorgian houses. And by our side always the great river, lap, lap, lapping against the ukl wharves; the fresh sea wind beating in our face, and the !Jig vessels moving up and down the river ceaselessly, a stune's-throwaway. \\'e seem to expect the lady of the house to sweep out of this rosy brick domicile with the wh ite door and the marble step, tiny parasol in hand over the gay honllet and crisp cri noli n es. • • The irregular line everywhere strikes one, as the pavement c z is uneven, so is the line of roufs. llere came the Swedes, and t.he < Dutch, frum Ft. Casimir to the Dutch Church Oil the Strand. Here came the Miller .>\rnaldus de la Grange and Cornelia his "~ w wife pretending to be holy hut, writes the stern Moravian who > saw him, "he can be seen walking up the Strand, sword clan king, • ribbons Hying, like the great fop he is." Here is another afternoon on the Strand. It is 1773, Ccorge Read, son of the "Signer", is standing on the front step with his mother, a great storm is breaking, a small ooat runs before it and just opposite George they run aground: two sailors spring out and take two gentlemen on their backs and make for shore; down goes one, on his bark is Captain Swanwick "a very cor pulent man" we enjoy the joke as they "excitC(1 much mirth" with the ;'mud st.icking largely to their per;;ons and were the sub ject of much wit." Half way along the Strand we come to an alley leading to the ri\'er. There is a rotting- wharf. This is " Packet Alley."
PAC KI ~T ALLEY ON TH E STRAN D " Here's a remnant left of an old highway, When George of England held. royal sway, Only an alley from River to Strand, Yet here are figures from every land.
11 From the tide of travel that over it rolled, For hundreds of years, in the oays of olt!. Lift the veil, and the throng shall pass Before YOl1r \-i:;ion as in a gla~,,;. Hear the Conestoga \\'ain: Ilear the teamster,,; !;hout again. Before YOll, pass on its rerliolls '\<'y The stage and four of the ancient d:\y. \\"i1h brass-hound boxes the L
READ HOUSE (LAIRD) INTERIOR
13 <
TH E REAl) HOl'SE T hc"e two ladies, Laurent de Sax\' and Laurent de Verneuil The '>lately dwellin!c{ on t he S trand known as thc " Rcad remained in Xe\\ Castle and leiters n ~a\" be read from .:\I me. de H ou:.e", now the home of Philip Dandridgc Laird, is onc of the Saxy descrihing t he "atTre lisc sit llatio;l" \\ilhollt clothing or bes t example;; of a rchitect ure of its period, Built by George food e"c-ept t ha I f('('ci\cu from :\Ir. Read a nd citizens of Ncw Read, thc sC<"on d of a line who left a record to be remem bered as Cast.le, shc prays Ihat h{';'l\cn will help her to thank him for his patrioti(: an-t loyal citizens he ;;howe<1 his accurate a nd careful kindness. '\Jothing more i" knO\\Il. tCIllI)Cr,lInellt, his {a~"(: ing \"i"ioll and a ppreciation of J.!,ood and beautiful work, in thi;, housc of his, PIR;\TES The builder \\:\s i\1r. Crowding of Philadelphia , and there There had from early times heen man\' troubles fro'n was Illlparclltly no
<5 TilE CREE:\! ANI) MARKET SQI:ARE Messenger:. are stationed about the city of Philadelphia to Originally all one expanse known as "Ye Market Pl ai ne" in spread the alarm. The Cover nor ride3 through the streets be the centre of the town, it has been held for puhlic use since the seeching the- l>eople to arm and fight. Too many people arc in the settlement of the town. Laid out hy (',0\.. Petrus Stuyves..'llt secret. or CO". Evans is a poor actor. Only the \·erv timid arc in 1655. it has remained for 275 )"t:
19 IN 1807 The first engine, bought in England, arrived in sections, In 1807 a Geography wa ~ published, with all account of August 1st, 1832. It was named "The Delaware." An English New Castle: man, Swanson by name, was sent by Mr. Baldwin to assemble "All "essel,; bound from Philadelphia for foreign ports stop it. He first built an inc\osc<1 workshop and was seven weeks on here and supply with live stock. .:\ great line of packets and the job. It w;.\S ascertained that he made drawings of each stages passes thfU ' from Philndclphia to 13altimore by way of piece for l\lalthias \\'. Baldwin, who soon after became a great Frcnch-w\\ n, in Cecil Co., :\ld. Vast quantities of merchandi"c locomotive engineer. T his is local tradition. are sent 10 the \\'Dol. Sept. 10, 1832, the Delaware made its first trip. A l\Ir. If is at prc~nt olle of the greatest thoroughfares in the Galloway ran ahead of the engine ringing a large bell to warn United Slates. Seven large Packet-Loats sail from !\ew Castle off children or callie. This being before the day of telegraph. to Philadelphia. Ten to fifteen ConeslOga Wagons across to they invented a system of signals, unique and successful. Re French-iown ami four large Sla!:"es." peated at intervals from :-.Jew Castle to the Chesapeake were These Packet-boats stopped at the wharf mid-way on the hlack and white barrels rair;e 20 2\ Before that tilTle there \\',1f> a wandering S\\"edish minister, Petru ... The mell who <:,1I1IC \() the {'(,ionics were a bra\'e and noble II jorl, dc!>('rihed by Cmcrnor Ri"in~ as " ho th temporally and iJ 12 23 .... Ross, who followed his father at Immanuel Church, New Castle. holding the char~e for 38 years, another waH a diHtingui~hed R ichard Halliwell , "the Prime Patron" of the Church. left lawyer in Philadelphia. the Clebe Farm to the Church in 1719, and it Htill remains in In 1791 the llrick wall was huil t abou t the churchyard . In the posses~io n of Immanuel. 1822 extensive repairs and enlargements were made; the tower A long H u ('("cs~ion of Godly men have ministered to the and Hpi re were built under l\ l r. William Strickland, a noted people of New C astle and while ne,·cr we,:llthy the congregation architect of Phi ladelphia. haH maintainl!{l thi;; ancicnt I loll HC of God and prescn·oo it ,\ith '·encratioll. T o rt:a(\ I he names of tho~e who lie in the churchyard llIrn ~ the pa~e o f hi~lOry. ;:.nd the thought of those noble and sin· cere men and women who lie c1()~ :llx.JU t the Church they 100·ed brings home to liS the name "Cod 's .\ere"· T homas Holcomb. , \rarden. has \Hitten a lIi"lory of Immanuel Chun·h. containing many intert:sting delail". I\IETIlODIST CiIl"RCH I The ?l.lelhodi"ts, \\ ho had a s tormy time in Dther places estahlishing Iheir new form of rel igion. were nol. so ullkindl y treated in l'\ew Caslle; at least Ihe \iolence mer with in l\,lary land was not so in c\idellcc. As early as 17 69 (·aptain Thomas • \\'chh, who had lOi;1 an eye al Louisburg and g"aillt:d a wound with \\'olfe in Canada, preached here the ;Vlelhodist T enets. T hey dosed the Court IIoll!;(: to him, Ihough it was used for al\ meet ings and entertainmcnts. lie was wont 10 preach in full British Regimentals with his sword laid on Ihe Bihle. Rubert Furness, who kept the Inn where the Gilpin I louse stands, opened his doors to \\·ebIJ though he lOs t much custom by this. Also he was rt:quiroo to quiet a riot o r IWo and deflect the m issi les. T he present Society was formed in 1820 and the Church built 1863. T he present en thusiastic and progressi\"e congregation has in creased from year to year until it is Oll t: of the lead ing religious organiza tions in the StaiC. T he iron fe nce was placoo around the gra,-eyard in 1908. I MMANUEL C HURC H TilE RO~I. \;'; CA"I" 1I0 1.l (' C Hl· RC H On October 25th o f that year a notable service took place. Largc\y through the in flu ence of Bernard ~ l ur ph ey, a sub Uishop White or Philadelphia, HishoJl Kemp of i\la ryland, with stantial residen t of the town. the first scf\·il"(~s of the congregation many visiting clergy pcrforml!{\ the Service of Consecration. of the ROIl1:l1l Ca tholic Church were held in 180·!. April 15. 1806, Among the contrihutors to tht: restoration fu nd was Commodore • a 101 was purcha»c(1 from Samuel Rowan, original OWIlN, t\'ic holas Thomas MacDonough. The story is that when :\1acl)onough \'an D yke. and ("OIl\'C},l.,( \ to i\lr. 1\ l undc1l, Ke11lwdy, :\1cArthur, waS:l young lad on a ship in New Castle H arhor, he with a part y, Lafferty and Seaglt:. "trustees of tht: Roman Catholi , Church Il • ' \~1'..'\ :\E\VS! BATTLE OF IYXIN(~TON • t "< 1.1 A post~hoy clatters into' tOW11 April 26, Ii7S. Down past I I ~ the Court House, to the Strand. lie stops in front of Zach:uiah 0 I. ~ ' Van I.euvaneigh',.; housc (now .l\Ir. Philip Hurnet's). ]I./1r. Van c Leu\'aneigh, the Magistrate, franks the message, sends the Post • Ii ~" 011 his way to Baltimore and then turns to the gathering crowd •" , and tell~ them of the "~hot heard rounrl the world," the Battle " "Q " of I.exington. ," ,• THE KENSEY JOIl\'S 1I0USE -• I .-\ 1\TJ - , - TH E DORSEY IIOlJSE , Chancellor Kensey J ohn;; built this house in 1783 OJl the N. \\'. corJler of Delaware Street and dwell. here with his family. h Ilis son, Kensey Johns, Jr. , huilt on the 110rth west corner next to his father. Kensey Johns, Jr., also uecame Chancellor of the Ii State on hi;; father's resignation. These two men were types of \ the finely educated gentlemen of thcir period. Interestcd in " I• their town, ~tate and counlr\" they haye left nohle traditions • behind them. This hO\l,;c is nO\\' the residence of Dr. Lewis ~ Booker. , 26 • umbrella. A year later a ship put.s into Nl'w Castle Harbor from CASI1\IIR PARK Ch ina, The Captain asks for one William T. Read. When he Entering :\'ew Castle from the Great Dyke Bridge we ~ce a appears he hands him the umbrella, saying it had blow,1 aboard small tria ngu lar lot now named Casimir Pa rk, but once know'l\ his ship as he was wei${ hing anchor for China, He had carried as Ba ltic lI ill. It has always been publ ic laml. Long ago a Illan it round the world and hrough t it IMc k to the owner whose name named j a,ob Battle was COIl\i,tcd of ma nslaughter ami hranded was cro~",-"Iilched on the ('over. This umbrella may still be seen with the letter hi for killi ng a man named Clark, on this ;-,pOI. in ;';e\\ Castle, Afterwards a !'mithy stood IIt:re for many years, T he old " Rainey" Hou"e, which stood on the ",ite of John 'I'l l E BOOTH II OCSE R , J..'lmb!lOl1's present home, \,as \"e ry old. It was an ancicnt Directly opposi te the Court Hou"e is a lo\'ely ramhling old ta\crn called "The Cit\e," kept by Barney Murphey. The old I house add("(1 10 and restorc(1 by Judge James Booth in 1797. sign which was in cxistence for Illany years after was as follows : The mantels of (';,n't.·d wood arc c:;pecially fine and the cornice T ra\·ellcr. as you pass hy under the caves. Chid Justice BOOlh studied law under George Comc, take a drink as well 1l!'l I ; Read, the Signcr, and was one of the outs t andi n ~ figures in old The Liquor's gooo, the Price is low, ~ew Castle. It is rt-bted that whcn a case was heing tri t~d and Come takc a drillk before you go. the jury dc1iheratt.'(1 a long timc at night, J udge Hooth wou ld go On Augusl -I, 179f! • tion is rising, now, when architects praise liS, and beautiful books In Amstd Housc grcw up Nicho!:ts Ill , who wa,; to bloom are written about liS, we illuSt look to our facts, and even beyond, into a Senator, a man of affairs, a IO"cr of architeclUre and polite to the region of reasonable conjecture. literature: ami who ~h() ul d. Oil his dauA"hter's wedding, elllf'rtain There has been a theory that the Reyolution was a war his distinguished fri(~nd, the i\larquis de L...fa~·ette. In this house hetwecn a rich country and a poor one, the opposite is nearly was to come to flower Ann Van Dyke, who should be later the the truth. In all that made for comfort, the colonies were affluent; happy bride of the ('hancellor Kensey Johns. "ho, as I said p..... n of th.n affluence showerl itself about 1725 in the building of hefore, was at one time a suhj(.'('t of George II. fine hOllses. And among the first fruits of the Delaware crop Let us cull a romantic doculllent or two from the past. I n was the Amslel House. The plans were English, hut the oak was the first exhibition \\e shall sec the lover in a tentati\'e mood, Oelawarean, and the hri,ks, too, were made in the southern pa rt thus he writes with careful pcn, ":\tr. Johns' complimen ts wait of New C'"::lstle, then known as " Brickmaker's Point." I upon Miss Van Dyke and solil'it the honor of her hand at the A master builder constructl..'"C\ the house. I wish I knew his bal1 al Wilmington on Monday e\·ening." , name, for the work was well done, and is likely to endure two ~ex t let me gi\'c yOLL a love letter (somcwhat abbrenated) Ann centurics more. Our worthy builder has left his mark upon the which • indeed, mu",t have maue l\'liss happy. • house, for no two windows are exactly alike in measurement, "This c"cning I visitl.'"<.\ the "Corner." Soon after I went 111 also one of the bays is one inch wider than its fellows! So callle Mrs. V. (the second r>.lrs. Van Dyke) says, ·'Well. ;\lr. Johns, into being the dwelling place which you are honoring with yOllr what say you to a ride (,;leiR"h ride) below (St. c,eorges) in the presence; the house whose front has been called the most heautiful morning with Jl1f', and bringing j'vliss :\ancy up?" After an hour of colonial facades. And, as this house has been praised by ex passed I reeovered mY1>clf amI nnswered in the l1?gatin::, lhat my l>crien ccU pens, [ a m s<:\\'&1 some architectural trouble. business would nut permit of it- your papa dIscovered by hiS In "Colonial Archite<:ture For Those Ahout to Build," Mr. countenance the highest satisfaction at my refusal; this approba Wise sa.y!;, "As Salem is to ]'\'I assadl usetts, Annapolis to Maryland tion of his afforded me great pleasure. The more I regard your and Charleston to the South, so is \""ew Castle, Delaware, to the happiness, the more debirous 1 am by as...,iduity and attention to business to l.-stahlish a ('haracter, which \\'ill gi,'c me con:';C(]uen('e territory of Pcnnsylvania, ~ew Jersey and Delaware." Perhaps the mOSl interesting old residence in New Castle is the Washing. and importance in life. I wi!.h to scc you morC' than wordsexpres",. 1\1r:<;. V. says she wants you to come up \ery much: she as~e<1 me ton House, SO called from the presence of the Father of his country within it on the occasion of the \\'eddingof the Honorahle to use my influence to persuade yO ll . All I call say IS, t~lat.lf Y~HJr Kensey Johns (afterwards chancellor of the state), and Anll V;.1lI Crand 1\1 ama 's indisJlOsi t Ion will admit of it, and your 1l1chn~\t1on Dyke. The transfer of the property traccs its existence back to prompts you to rome, it will much contribu te to my happmcss, the year 1737, while its archi tecture indicates that it may have evcn if I should only see you now and then for a few lllomel.lts. heen hllilr much earlier. A wide gable. pitched at an angle of :\I y fingers are so cold I can scar,e hold my pen , therefore adlelL 29 degrees, spans a frontage of 43 fec t, but has onl)' a depth of 22 Be assure<1 that 1 nevcr cease to he, fect , thc remai nder of the house constituting a service wing ex Yours most. affectionately, tending 2.f. feel fa rther toward the rear. To the right of the hall KE:,\SEY JOH::\5, is the parlor, wilh clll>boards on each side of the fireplace, a nd ::\ew ('astle, February 15, liS...... "seert" cupbo... rds also, conce'.lled hy panels of the wainscot There is a romantic story told of a gentlenK1.n h\'1ng 1Il hinged as doors. 1\'lr. ilammond, too, sketches the hOLlse wilh Amstel Ilouse, \\ho marri(."d, as he supposed, a wido\\'; her hu,; a lovin~ brush. lie says: Entering the house through the heavy band having gone on a sea \'oyage and nevcr returnerl: .It ,,:as doorway with its very decided Dutch character, one rlllds oneself another ('ase of Enoch Arden. the s... ilor returned, and, 11 IS saId, in a hal1way bisecting the house and facing a broad stair with deparll..,(\ with his pockets a-clink with gold. ueep, generous steps. T o the right is a li\'ing room, the OPl>osite Among others who frequented the house was that \'en;atile wall of which is heavily and bcautiful1y panel&1 in wood. To the Delawarean, the novelist, poct, dramatist., and editor. Dr. left is a dining rOOIll. The hou:<;e con tains much paneling through Rohert 1\loT\tgomery Bird. . . out, and the north wall of the aforementioned living room has Rut to return to the would-lIe Chancellor and hiS cold set in it two becret cup\xlards on either side of the big old fire fingers. place. " The winter of 1784 is cakulatcd 10 chil1 the blood of the most ardent lover. The whole ('ountry is polar, with mountain", of 30 31 rommands re\'erence and arrests at tentiOIl . The gra\-e steady drifting sno\\ : roads a rC' gone, and rescue part ie .• ha \·c to hc forn1(."(1 eyes show thal invincihle conlilland. which rehukc:s le\-ity and to succor oU11aying hamlets. Save at Mount Vernon, all visiting forhids presumpt ion. \' et t he hero can bend, and on this occasi()n has ceased; there, post riders bring bundles of lellers; there, di~ · he is simpk, strai~ht-forward and e\en w:l.rm. Ann when at lust ti!lguish~ strangers and curiosity mungers arc breaking through he stands majestic, and half smiling in the beautiful doorway, he winter's b