First State National Historical Park - National Park Directory

Red, yellow, and green leaves lay on the grass in front of a colonial building.

Each fall, an 18th Century Market Fair is recreated to commemorate the original purpose of The Green.

A view of the front of the John Dickinson House on the Plantation.

John Dickinson is most famously known as the "Penman of the Revolution" at this site, visitors learn the stories of the many residents: tenant farmers, indentured servants, free and enslaved Black men, women, and children and the Dickinson family.

A brick bath leads to a door of an old church surrounded by vegetation.

Old Swedes Historic Site contains burials that can be traced back to the original settlement of the Swedes.

Pews line the side of the room leading to the English style court room.

The New Castle Court House Museum was the first court of Delaware and has seen a variety of significant moments in history.

Rolling agricultural hills on a bright sunny day.

The Brandywine Valley unit is most known for its recreational opportunities.

A replica of the original Kalmar Nyckel ship sails by the monument at Fort Christina.

This site commernmates the Swedes original landing and the fort that once stood in the area.

Photos: National Park Service

About First State National Historical Park

Famous as the First State to ratify the Constitution, Delaware was born out of a conflict among three world powers for dominance of the Delaware Valley. From this beginning, the region developed a distinct character that tolerated diversity in religion and national origin and valued independence.

Quick Facts

State Delaware

Designation National Historical Park

State Code DE,PA

Weather For details and information, visit, http://www.nps.gov/frst/index.htm.

Location & Map

First State National Historical Park is located in Delaware.

Get Directions

Operating Hours

211 Delaware Street, New Castle DE 19720 The New Castle Court House Museum is open Wednesday - Saturday 10:00AM to 4:00PM, and Sunday 1:30PM to 4:30PM with tours being offered every hour. Please be aware that during tours the New Castle Court House Museum does lock their doors, they re-open the doors at the next available tour time. The New Castle Court House Museum is closed on Tuesdays.

Wednesday 10:00AM - 4:00PM

Monday Closed

Thursday 10:00AM - 4:00PM

Sunday 1:30PM - 4:30PM

Tuesday Closed

Friday 10:00AM - 4:00PM

Saturday 10:00AM - 4:00PM

Activities

Biking Mountain Biking Fishing Freshwater Fishing Fly Fishing Food Picnicking Hands-On Citizen Science Hiking Front-Country Hiking Horse Trekking Horseback Riding Living History Junior Ranger Program

Getting There

First State National Historical Park is made up of six individual sites throughout Delaware and southeastern Pennsylvania that explore early settlement through the ratification of the US Constitution. Please visit the individual pages for directions or hours of operation.

View Official Directions

Contact & Address

Address First State National Historical Park, New Castle, DE, 19720

Phone 302-317-3854

Email firststate@nps.gov

Topics & Themes

Burial, Cemetery and Gravesite Colonization and Settlement Enslavement Farming and Agriculture Plantations Forts Incarceration Jails and Prisons Maritime Monuments and Memorials Religion and Spirituality Churches Social Movements Urban America Wars and Conflicts American Revolutionary War Women's History Forests and Woodlands Trails

Visitor Centers

Sheriff's House Welcome Center

The Welcome Center is located in Historic New Castle inside the Sheriff’s House. The center will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday.…

Hours: The building is open Thursday-Saturday 9:00 AM-4:30 PM.