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HISTORIC NEW CASTLE: THE AMERICAN RIVER TOWN
The exact moment this unique curve along the Delaware River first intrigued settlers is lost in the proverbial mists of time. It was some time in 1651 when the Dutch – led by Peter Stuyvesant – established the area's first significant structure, Fort Casimir. There was conflict between the colonizing Dutch and the equally ambitious Swedes, but just over a decade after the fort's inception, it was the English who took control of the area and bestowed the colony with the name it is known by today, "New Castle" – though remnants of the Dutch and Swede heritage live on in names encountered in modern-day New Castle. Control of the area was eventually conveyed to William Penn, who first set foot on American soil not in Pennsylvania but in New Castle, on October 27, 1682. New Castle became a vibrant center of colonial government; three Declaration of Independence signers were from New Castle.
By the mid-1800s fundamental shifts in transportation and industrial trends saw New Castle enter a period of economic distress which, in the long term, had an unexpected benefit: many historic structures in New Castle were rescued instead of being torn down in the name of progress.
In the pages of Within Walking Distance: Historic New Castle, photographer Frank Moriarty's evocative images creatively document both the New Castle of the past and the increasingly vibrant community of today.
