Delaware’s Independence Hall

One of the things I learned while exploring New Castle was that Delaware’s path to independence did not begin in Dover, but here at the Old Court House.   This building is often referred to as Delaware’s Independence Hall and why it occupies such an important place in the history of the First State.

Constructed in 1732 as the courthouse for Pennsylvania’s Three Lower Counties, the building served as the center of government for the colony’s Delaware settlements. For decades, representatives gathered here to conduct the business of government under the authority of both the British Crown and William Penn’s proprietorship.

That changed dramatically on June 15, 1776. Meeting within these walls, Delaware’s Assembly voted unanimously to sever its ties not only with Great Britain but also with Pennsylvania. This often-overlooked decision created Delaware as an independent state three weeks before the Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence on July 4. It was a bold step that allowed Delaware to chart its own course as one of the original thirteen states.

Just a few months later, delegates met here again as members of Delaware’s Constitutional Convention to draft the state’s first constitution. With that document, Delaware established its own government and began the work of governing itself as a free and independent state.

While Philadelphia is rightly remembered as the birthplace of the Declaration of Independence, New Castle was the place where Delaware first declared its own independence and began defining its future. It is one of those remarkable moments that deserves to be remembered alongside the more familiar events of 1776.

My visit to New Castle continually reinforced how much history is concentrated within just a few blocks. William Penn first stepped onto American soil here. Delaware’s independence was proclaimed here. The struggle over slavery unfolded here. One of America’s earliest railroads began here. It is no wonder that New Castle remains one of the country’s most remarkable colonial towns, where every street and every historic marker add another chapter to the story of our nation.