Entrusted with the Land: Trustees of the New Castle Common

The Old Town Hall in New Castle was one of the buildings funded by the New Castle Trustees.

Courtesy of the New Castle Historical Society.

The New Castle Common was land set aside for the common use of the residents of New Castle, originally by the Dutch, then the English, and finally the State of Delaware. By the 1760s, it was obvious that the people of New Castle needed some way to oversee and protect the land of the Common from misuse and encroachment from nearby landholders and others. Representatives from the town petitioned the Proprietors of Pennsylvania for a body of trustees to govern this common land. In 1764, thirteen “Trustees of the New Castle Common” were appointed and entrusted with the protection and management of the Common. When members of this board died or moved away, the townspeople elected replacements.

When property is held in a trust, it is held by one party, the trustee, for the benefit of another, the beneficiary. While the beneficiary has certain rights to use the property, they cannot do everything an outright owner can ordinarily do. The trust documents spell out what the trustee and the beneficiary may do with the property. The Trustees of the New Castle Common hold the Common for the benefit of the people of New Castle. At first the Trustees were bound by the rules spelled out in the original Charter that established the entity in 1764. Over time, the limits on, and responsibilities of, the Trustees have changed, but the original intention remains the same – to protect and manage the land of the Common for the benefit of the citizens of New Castle.

At first, the Trustees could do very little with the land, other than enforce its status as common land. They were expressly prohibited from selling any of it. After the American Revolution, the Trustees of the New Castle Common were re-incorporated to be permitted to function legally under the new United States and State of Delaware governments. They were still unable to sell land from the Common, but they were allowed to lease it out for use as tenant farms, which they did throughout the 19th century. The money collected as rent was to be used for the good of the town.

Rent collected by the Trustees funded projects such as streetlights, cobblestone streets, a town clock, a wharf, improvements to the water supply, and even the town’s first fire engine and several buildings. In 1801, some of these funds were used to build the Academy on the Green to provide an education to students in New Castle. The school was open to all white families who could afford the modest tuition – kept low in part by funds from the Trustees - until the State of Delaware required free public schools to serve residents.The Town Hall was built in 1823 using some of these funds as well. It replaced the old outgrown and outdated market hall, and provided a home for the town’s government. New Castle had no town tax until 1850, because public projects were paid for by income from the Common managed by the Trustees. The Trustees funded the town library, built in 1892 and now called the Old Library, which later became a museum after a new larger library was built in the 20th century. More recently, the Goodwill Fire Company’s firehouse, built in 1957-58, was also funded by the Trustees, and stands at the corner of West Fourth Street and South Street.

The Trustees of New Castle Common are still incorporated as a legal entity today, and still operate for the benefit of the city. Trustees are now elected for 12-year terms instead of life terms. The Board of Trustees meets regularly, and they manage over 600 acres of land, as well as investments to be used to acquire any new land needed for capital projects. Battery Park is one such project funded and maintained by the Trustees. Additionally, the Trustees hold Penn Farm, part of the original Common, and commercial rental properties which help fund public projects such as infrastructure maintenance, repairs and improvements, and scholarships for New Castle students.

Historic Benchmarks: New Castle and the Making of a Nation

Tucked along the banks of the Delaware River, the city of New Castle has long been a place where national stories unfold in local ways. From its founding by Dutch settlers in 1651 to its time as Delaware’s colonial capital, New Castle’s history reflects broader themes in the American experience—immigration, industrial growth, and transportation revolutions all left their mark on this small but significant town.

Throughout its history, New Castle has drawn newcomers from around the world. Some came seeking opportunity, others came in search of community, and all contributed to the layered identity of a town deeply intertwined with the nation’s growth. Its streets and structures bear witness to shifting colonial powers, evolving industries, and changing transportation networks that linked it to regional and global currents.

This article series, part of the Historic Benchmarks project and supported in part by Delaware250, invites you to explore New Castle’s past in greater depth. Through these stories, we hope to cultivate a deeper appreciation for Delaware’s role in shaping the nation—and inspire a new generation to care for and carry forward the diverse legacies of our state’s communities.

What questions will New Castle’s story spark for you?

References:

Benson, B. E., & Hoffecker, C. E. (2021). New Castle, Delaware: A Walk Through Time. New Castle, Delaware: Oak Knoll Press.

Burke, B. (Producer). (2018). The Old Library [Motion Picture]. New Castle, DE. Retrieved July 2, 2025 from https://www.trusteesncc.org/video

Bylaws of the Trustees of the New Castle Common. (Revised February 2025). Retrieved June 18, 2025 from Trustees of New Castle Common: https://www.trusteesncc.org/documents

Higgins, A. (Ed.). (1973). New Castle on the Delaware (Third ed.). New Castle, Delaware: New Castle Historical Society.

Historic Penn Farm History. (n.d.). Retrieved June 20, 2025 from DelawareGreenways.org: https://delawaregreenways.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Historic-Penn-Farm-History.pdf

New Castle Common ("Blue Book"). (1944). Retrieved June 18, 2025 from Trustees of New Castle Common: https://www.trusteesncc.org/documents

Rhodes, A. (1993). Buildings Books & Blackboards: Education in New Castle from 1657 to 1930. New Castle, Delaware: New Castle Historical Society.

Trustees of New Castle Common, single entity, a corporation and Trust (Revised January 2024). Rettrieve June 18, 2025 from Trustees of New Castle Common: https://www.trsuteesncc.org/documents