Kimberly as our docent was very well versed on Delaware history. She brought to life colonial era history and how certain things are still in our society based on these roots. Three stories of the court house to cover but there are no public bathrooms on property. We found this tour very informative and were fortunate to be the only visitors for the tour.

We have the NPS book and you can get a stamp here. Come to this court house and be transported in time to how courts were styled back in 1700. Need to call for a tour at this time. A little hard to hear the guide on first floor with the echo but not bad. Second floor much easier to hear and find out what transpired in this building as part of our history of the United States. Great tour. Make your reservation today.

We took a tour here and just LOVED it. There were several tour guides who talked about different areas of the courthouse. With a career in the law, I loved this place! Leigh was really especially friendly and talked to us a few minutes at the end. The only fail here is that they start a tour and flip the sign outside to "closed" without any time frame. We really wanted to see the courthouse so we waited outside in the cold. In just a few minutes, the door opened and they allowed us in to start our own tour.

We were excited for this advertised self-guided tour. Unfortunately, that is not what we got. A woman sat us down in the first room and gave us a 30 minute slide presentation. Due to COVID, she was quite a distance away from us and wearing a mask. We could not hear or understand most of what she said, so it was very disappointing. We never even got to step foot anywhere else.

Visited the courthouse last weekend with my girlfriend. Our tour guide was amazing; he was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the site’s history! Would definitely recommend to anyone interested in early American history. I can’t wait to visit the other sites that encompass this park!

I stopped in just to see the architecture and the tour operator offered to give me the basics. I will do this again and spend more time here. It is a major site focused on abolition, handling the trials of two abolitionists and is an Underground Railroad stop in the U.S. Historic Registry. It also plays an extremely prominent role in Delaware's separation from Pennsylvania.

Quaint historic town. We arrived a bit early in the day and not much was open. The area seemed to have a nice B&B and some nice shops and pubs if you are really trying to kill an afternoon or evening in Delaware. Glad we drove thru the area.

Good colonial period history of New Castle and the immediate area. Unfortunately the NPS property (First State NHP) was closed for renovation. Went to the New Castle History Bldg (adjacent on the green) and the gentlman there was very helpful. Great history of the area, and of the prison/pillory/whipping post. Enjoyed the short drive down the original cobblestone street.

As a historian, my visit to Delaware was not compete without a visit to historic New Castle for this attraction. New Castle Court House Museum is the centerpiece of the historic City of New Castle. It is a state-owned and operated museum. Its cupola was designated the center of a 12-mile circle which delineates most of the border between Delaware and Pennsylvania plus a fractional part of the border between Delaware and Maryland. It is one of the oldest surviving court houses in the United States. It served as Delaware’s first court and the state capitol. Admission is free, but donations are appreciated. Tours operate Wednesday-Saturday 10 AM to 3:30 PM and Sunday 1:30 PM to 4:30 PM. When tours are in progress, there is a sign hanging near the central door, and, that door is locked until that tour ends. On my visit, David conducted the tour. He was very knowledgeable. The restoration and preservation work on this building are excellent. It’s in very good condition. The main section of the court house was built in 1732 above the remains of a 1660’s court house used by the Dutch. There is a glass-covered cutout in the courtroom floor through which one can see part of the old structure. The court house on the first floor is an example of the English-style court system. There was a panel of three judges at an elevated desk. The judge in the center had the biggest wig. That’s where the term “bigwig” came from. A table in front of the judges was for the lawyers. There were two wooden spears on the side of the prisoners’ section. At the start of a trial, the spears were turned sideways. At the end, they would be turned to show the verdict. The white side was for innocent; the red side was for guilty. There were no jails here in the 1700’s so the penalty for a serious crime was death by hanging. Upstairs were the two chambers for the State Senate and State House. In this building on June 15, 1776, the legislature passed a resolution to declare the independence of New Castle County, Kent County, and Sussex County from both England and Pennsylvania, thus creating the State of Delaware. On September 20, 1776, the first constitution for the State of Delaware was adopted. In 1777, the capital moved to Dover. In 1881, the state courts moved to the City of Wilmington in 1881. Upstairs, one will also find a collection of furniture, artifacts, and decorative arts, and portraits. One of the portraits was of Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, an English nobleman and Virginia's first colonial governor, for whom Delaware was named. It was too bad that there was no portrait of Caesar Rodney, one of the greatest figures in Delaware’s and America’s history as he rode all night through a thunderstorm from July 1st to 2nd to Philadelphia to vote at the Continental Congress to break his delegation’s deadlock on declaring independence from England July 1776. In a small room upstairs was an exhibit of sculptures of recent Presidents of the United States. A current exhibit titled “Emeline Hawkins: Her Journey from Slavery to Freedom on the Underground Railroad" illustrates the hardships runaway slaves endured on their road to freedom. This exhibit chronicles the story of Emeline Hawkins and her family on their 1845 journey on the Underground Railroad from slavery in Maryland through Delaware and to freedom in Pennsylvania. One part shows mannequins of her and her husband in a jail cell. The exhibit also details the roles of noted Delawareans of the Underground Railroad Freedom Network, including Samuel Burris, a conductor who led the Hawkins family out of Maryland into Delaware, plus stationmasters Thomas Garrett and John Hunn, who sheltered the family and aided their escape into Pennsylvania. Additionally, the exhibit tells about the famous federal trial at the New Castle Court House in 1848 which resulted in the conviction of Hunn and Garrett on charges of violating the Federal Fugitive Slave Act. Besides being a state museum, it is component of First State National Monument, Delaware’s first National Park Service unit and the 400th unit of the national park system. It was established by executive proclamation by President Obama on March 25, 2013 under the Antiquities Act. The New Castle portion includes the whole complex: the court house, the green, and sheriff’s house. The national monument celebrates Delaware’s rich history from its Native American roots to early settlement by Dutch, Swedish, Finnish, and English colonists to its part in America’s struggle for independence to its distinction as the first state to ratify the United State Constitution. For those who participate in the Passport to Your National Parks Program, the location of the passport cancellation stamps are located in the hallway near offices at the court house. One has to ask for them as there are no National Park Service Rangers onsite. The stamps read: ● First State National Monument - New Castle, DE ● Underground Railroad Freedom Network - New Castle Court House Museum Public restrooms are in the basement. Access is on the Market Street side on the building. New Castle is steeped in history. Under Peter Stuyvesant, the Dutch build Fort Casimir In 1651. The Duke of York captured the town in 1664. William Penn arrived in 1682. The Marquis de Lafayette stopped by and was asked to give a bride away at a wedding in 1824. The center of New Castle is very picturesque and historic with numerous red brick buildings and sidewalks. There’s a bronze statue of William Penn around the back of the court house on the Market Street side. Nearby is the New Castle Presbyterian Church. There are a lot of other attractions nearby. The Green, Amstel House Museum, Dutch House Museum, and Old Library Museum are within a few blocks. Battery Park, a scenic park overlooking the Delaware River and Pennsville Township across the river in New Jersey, is a short drive away down Delaware Street. It's a nice place for a stroll or to sit and watch marine traffic pass. If you found this review helpful, kindly click YES below.

The New Castle Court House was built in 1732 over an existing 1660's court house structure used by the Dutch. When visiting, please pay attention to the cut out see through lucent floor square in the main floor court room. You can see down to the original structure of the 1660 building. The Court House is meticulously maintained and the Docent we had for our tour was very knowledgeable. It seems like th Old New Castle Court House did not see much usage as Dover replaced New Castle as the Delaware State capital and Wilmington gained prominence after 1880 over New Castle. Nevertheless, the Old New Castle Court House is a great Historic building and treasure trove of information. Be sure to see the second floor rooms and specifically the information on the Abolitionist movement in DE. The entire Historic New Castle area is all within walking district from the Battery Park to the George Read / New Castle Court Houses and on to the Amstel and Dutch Houses. Great Way to spend a Sunday just be sure to check out the timings for each of these attractions. Sunday especially is a very short tour day (11 am to 4:30 pm) for New Castle Historic sites in the Common ... Old New castle Court House is definitely a must see when in New Castle....