Arasapha Garden Club

08/29/2026

The historical marker mentioned in this post is at the corner of Delaware Street and the Strand.

DELAWARE SNAPSHOT 📸
Becoming & Unbecoming Pennsylvanian
King Charles II’s brother, the Duke of York, deeded “The Three Lower Counties” to William Penn on August 24, 1682. A year before, the king gave him “Penn’s Woods” to thank his father, an admiral and top military supporter. Adding our counties gave landlocked Pennsylvania vital access to the Delaware River and Atlantic Ocean. One of our first Delaware State Historical Markers cites Penn’s New World arrival at New Castle in 1682. In 1704, he gave our counties a separate, limited power General Assembly, but it wasn’t until June 15, 1776, that our county delegates unanimously declared independence from Pennsylvania, the Penns, and England.
– Compiled by robin brown, Writer-in-Residence
Delaware Public Archives
Miscellaneous Prints & Engravings
William Penn
Print: Undated, digitally colorized
ID: 9026-000-001_

08/22/2026

Sad that 2026 History Revival is halfway over? Well, we've got you covered! We will be extending the speaker series for one more week. Join us on September 3 at 7:00 PM as we host Chuck Fithian, historian and retired Curator of Archaeology for the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs (HCA), for the final History Revival event of the year!

The Declaration of Independence is one of the central documents of the founding and development of the United States. In 1776, the ideas contained in this document held significant ramifications for the diverse people living in the “Delaware State.” Many embraced the cause of independence, and ultimately revolution, while others remained loyal to the British Empire and to the Crown.

But what was life in Delaware like at the time of independence? What factors and conditions had shaped the colony soon-to-be state, and influenced its people? Who were the participants in these events, and in which ways did they choose, or were able, to participate? To help answer these questions, this presentation will examine aspects of Delaware’s colonial history and identity, the arrival of and the people’s reaction to the news of independence, and the varied and difficult responses Delawareans made in the years that followed. This discussion by historian Chuck Fithian will demonstrate Delaware’s complex Revolutionary War history, and the ways its people started to “begin the world over again.”

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Image Description: Painting of Delaware soldiers in the American Revolution marching in formation. People, including a man with a cane and a woman and her daughter, watch from the side of the path. Text at top and bottom reads "To Give My Voice in the Matter of Independence," "Chuck Fithian," and "September 3, 2026 --- 7:00 PM."

Image Credit: "Happy Memorial Day!" Delaware Public Archives. May 28, 2010. https://archives.delaware.gov/2010/05/28/happy-memorial-day/.

08/15/2026

Second Annual School Supply Giveaway, our final Library on the Loose! program!

When: Saturday, August 15th @ 10 AM

Where: New Castle Public Library (424 Delaware St., New Castle, DE 19720)

Details:
-First come, first served
-While supplies last
-Each child MUST be in attendance to receive school supplies.
-A prefilled backpack will be given to each child.
-Additional school supplies will be available à la carte and are dependent on donations.
-Families will be pulsed into the giveaway space; be prepared to wait in line before entering

Food and hygiene essentials will still be available in the classroom, along with a variety of community partners!

We can't wait to see you on Saturday!

Thank you to our sponsors: New Castle Community Partnership, Historic New Castle Hundred Lions Club, and Dot Foods

And of course, our community partners, Community Collaboration of Delaware, Phoenix Family Resource Center De, Sean's House, and Face the Facts!

08/08/2026

Of **COURSE** Historic New Castle is on this list! 😄

Step aboard a historic tall ship and sail back in time to the state's first settlers. Link in comments to find out more.⬇️

08/01/2026

Great programs on Historic New Castle's history coming to the New Castle Court House Museum!

It is time for our annual History Revival lecture series, and as part of the American Semiquincentennial, the 2026 theme is the American Revolution!

We will host these FREE presentations in our courtroom every Thursday in August at 7:00 PM.

August 6 - Truly a Public House: Women and Tavern Keeping w/ Jane Pilato, historical researcher and interpreter for the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control

August 13 - When the Declaration of Independence Was News w/ Dr. Emily Sneff, American historian, author, and expert on the Declaration of Independence

August 20 - The Fighting Along the Delaware River in 1777 w/ Michael C. Harris, historian and author of Brandywine: A Military History of the Battle That Lost Philadelphia but Saved America

August 27 - Loyalist Impression w/ Mark Wilson, Lead Historical Interpreter at the Zwaanendael Museum and Loyalist reenactor

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Image Description: Image of broadside-like flyer posted on red brick wall. Text on flyer reads "Notice! History Revival; Thursdays in August 7:00 pm" and "New Castle Court House Museum" and includes titles, speaker names, dates, and brief descriptions of the talks (full descriptions can be found at https://history.delaware.gov/2026/07/27/history-revival-at-new-castle-court-house-museum/). There is also a woodcut image similar to the seal on the Delaware flag included in the flyer design.

Image Credit: Soldier with Musket and Farmer with Hoe Holding Crest Topped with Sailing Ship. Ca. 1789 - 1805. Woodcut. Library of Congress. https://www.loc.gov/resource/cph.3b06779/.

07/06/2026

George Read lived on the Strand in New Castle and is buried in the graveyard of Immanuel Episcopal Church. His home, on land that's now the gardens of the Read House & Gardens, burned in the Great Fire of 1824. His son George Read II built the Read House that stands today and is open for tours.

DELAWARE SNAPSHOT 📸
Delawarean’s One-of-a-Kind Signature
When Delaware delegate George Read signed his name to the Declaration of Independence, he became one of a kind among those who inked their names on the famous document. Read had voted against independence while Thomas McKean voted in favor, leading to the well-known story of McKean sending for Caesar Rodney, who rode to Philadelphia to break our delegation’s tie. At that time, Read is said to have favored trying to find a diplomatic solution to the colonies’ difficulties with Great Britain. But his change of heart secured him an odd place in American history: Read was the only person who signed after voting against independence.
– Compiled by robin brown, writer in residence
Delaware Public Archives
General Photograph Collection
U.S. Senate Historical Office Portrait
Portrait: Undated, hand-tinted
ID: 1325_003_036_

06/29/2026

To help your plants survive this heatwave:
🌺Check your plants every day. Check plants in pots and hanging baskets twice a day.
🌺Keep them watered, especially if they look stressed.
🌺Early morning is the best time to water. Midday watering evaporates quickly, and evening watering can lead to fungi and diseases developing overnight. Plus early mornings are cooler for you!
🌺Aim your hose under the plant, not on the plant. Wet leaves are more susceptible to disease.
🌺Don't fertilize your plants. During heat waves they need to focus on surviving. Being asked to grow under these conditions is just an extra stress on them.
🌺Hanging baskets dry out super-fast. Consider taking them down and putting them on the ground in a somewhat shady spot until this heat wave passes.
🌺If some of your plants don't make it, consider replacing them next year with heat-tolerant plants. Some of our favorite heat-tolerant annuals and perennials are angelonia, blanket flower (gaillardia), caladium, catmint (nepeta), coneflower (echinacea), coreopsis, daylily (hemerocallis), fan flower (scaevola), globe amarynth (gomphrena), hyssops (agastache), lantana, marigold, milkweed (asclepias), penstemon, portulaca (purslane), Russian sage, salvia, sedum, spurge (euphorbia), sweet potato vine (ipomoea), veronica, annual vinca, yarrow (achillea), and zinnia. (Hot tip: We sell a lot of these at May Market in Historic New Castle! 😄)

06/15/2026

No, the Kalmar Nyckel was not docked in New Castle during Sunday night's storm, but these photos are pretty amazing! The Kalmar Nyckel, the Tall Ship of Delaware, will be back in New Castle on August 2-8, 2026.

06/08/2026

Did you know Delaware declared independence on June 15, 1776, about 3 weeks before everyone else did on July 4, 1776? New Castle will celebrate Separation Day this Friday and Saturday. Always a great time!

𝘕𝘌𝘟𝘛 𝘞𝘌𝘌𝘒 🎇 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗲𝗻𝗱 🎇 in Historic City of New Castle celebrating our 250th anniversary!

Friday, June 12 • 𝘚𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘋𝘢𝘺 𝘒𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘺
Saturday, June 13 • 𝘚𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘋𝘢𝘺 𝘍𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭

SeparationDayDE.com •
*𝘈 Delaware 250 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵

06/01/2026

Lots of great info in this FREE monthly newsletter about all things New Castle...

This month's New Castle Digest has TONS of events coming up in June, plus local news, history and gardening columns, our carefully-simmered take on library funding, and more...

Read it now at tiny.cc/NCDigest-Jun2026 👀