The ruins along Beaver Creek provide a physical reminder of the industrial history of the Brandywine Valley. The mills in the area provided finished goods that were then shipped around the nation and the world, making the Brandywine Valley a major early center for the Industrial Revolution in the United States.
This stone marker is one of many placed by Captain Hodgkins during his 1892 survey of the Twelve-mile Circle, which makes up a large part of the Pennsylvania-Delaware border, and is one of the few circular borders in the United States.
It was here at The Rocks, in 1638, along the banks of the Christina River over 380 years ago, that the first Swedish and Finnish American settlers aboard the Kalmar Nyckel and the Fogel Grip landed. The wharf of rocks is all that remains of the first landing.
Walking by the John Bell House today, one may think that it looks out of place, surrounded as it is by dignified government buildings and stately homes of red brick; but despite outward appearances, the structure is one of the most remarkable yet standing in Delaware today.
The John Dickinson Plantation Visitor Center is the primary orientation space for visitors. Visitors can start their tour by watching a video about John Dickinson, to transport themselves back in time and take a brief look at the stories they will hear more about on their tour.
The remains of this mica mining pit, active from the mid 1800's-early 1900's, provides evidence of the Brandywine Valley's industrial history. As an important center for the Industrial Revolution within the United States, the Brandywine Valley provided both raw material and finished products to the nation and abroad, including the mica mined here for use in the production of ceramics.
Built in 1732, the New Castle Court House served as Delaware’s first court and state capitol. Here in 1776, New Castle, Kent and Sussex counties declared their independence from Pennsylvania and Great Britain creating the Delaware State.
In 1638, the first Swedish settlers stepped foot on what is now Delaware. Shortly after arrival, they constructed Fort Christina and established the burial grounds at Old Swedes Historic Site prior to the church being built in 1698-1699.
Old Swedes Church, built by the Swedish Government in 1698 -1699, is considered one of the nation’s oldest church buildings that is still in regular use as house of worship. Originally, the church was established as a Swedish Lutheran Church to support the growing needs of the nearby New Sweden Colony. This building serves as one of the few remaining sites that documents the settlements throughout the Delaware Valley and the establishment the nation.
This place was nicknamed “The Rocks” by park staff after these large boulders were installed in 2016 to provide a natural bench for visitors to sit and reflect as they take in the rolling hills and winding creeks of the greater Brandywine Valley.
The Sheriff’s House was constructed in 1857 on the site of the circa 1793 jail, which is all that remains of Delaware’s first prison system. The Sheriff’s House is the only NPS-owned facility in New Castle, donated by the State of Delaware in 2013 as part of First State National Monument.
The parking lot and trailhead offers visitors a chance to sit by the creek to enjoy a nice meal on the picnic tables provided, fish, or enjoy an easy stroll alongside the creek.
Since the early 1800's the building known as "The Arsenal" has accommodated a variety of activities. Today this building serves as the town visitor center where you can learn more about Historic New Castle, including about this building.
The Green, laid out in 1717 in accordance with William Penn’s orders, was surrounded by government buildings, shops, homes, and taverns, and quickly became the heart of Dover. It played witness to the American Revolution and, on December 7, 1787, thirty delegates (ten from each county) met on The Green at the Golden Fleece Tavern and ratified the United States Constitution, giving Delaware a place of honor as "The First State."
As you take in the exterior of this Georgian-style structure and move among its majestic chambers it is almost possible to hear the echo of patriotic debate, the pleas for justice, the cries for freedom, governors, ordinary citizens, the enslaved and the freeman all made history here in the over two hundred years of the building’s continuous governmental use.
