House Tour Information

Van Dyke House

Welcome to the Kensey Johns Van Dyke House, one of the most important Federal brick houses in Historic New Castle. Kensey’s father, Senator Nicholas Van Dyke, built the home in 1820. On October 6, 1824, the marriage of Dorcas Van Dyke to Charles I. DuPont took place in the home; the Marquis de Lafayette was an honored guest at the wedding and gave away the bride. This year, on the 200th anniversary of the wedding, the current residents were married on the property.

John Wiley House

This four-story Federal brick home was built in the 1790s by John Wiley, a lawyer working at the Courthouse across the Green. Deeds for this property go back to the 1650s. Silsby’s Alley, between 16 and 18 East Third, is named after an owner of the property from the early 1700s, who deeded the alley so people could walk to church more easily. Considered by some to be one of the finest Federal houses in private hands in Delaware.

Archibald Alexander House

Dr. Archibald Alexander, born 1756, was deeply involved in the founding of the United States. Never engaging in commerce for his livelihood, Alexander achieved his prominence in the community through civic and political activism. Across from the Green, the Alexander house is proximate to the Courthouse, a symbol of New Castle's importance as a government center. Alexander saw the Green as a center of increasing importance. Prior to 1797, there was a smaller structure behind the double house, however the Federal house now standing on the site was the height of modernity and prominence in 1797, representing the vision of an urban New Castle growing up with the nation.

Vintage Christmas Home

A three story circa 1875 that is believed to have been built as a double house, as it is connected from the second floor up with 122 East 3rd. The two houses share a Victorian style mansard roof. It has original pine floors which are beautifully restored and varnished. There are two original non-working fireplaces with original mantles in the living room, along with the original crown molding. The home has a display of the owner’s large collection of vintage Christmas ornaments, sure to get everyone into the holiday spirit!

J.B. Vining House

The J. B. Vining House was built in 1840 by a local carpenter of that name, who was the original owner of the house. The ceiling in the living room is from the New Castle municipal building, however it is not clear whether this was original or added later. It is a two-story frame construction side-hall-plan dwelling with a gable roof and one gable dormer; the exterior is sided with weatherboard.

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New Century Club

Identified on the Latrobe Survey of 1804 as the Poor House, this building has been many things over time: restaurant, variety store, market, potentially a brothel, and in 1950 became the New Century Club of New Castle. It began life as many homes of the period did, being 18 feet deep and consisting of one room on the first & second floors, later being extended further and the ceiling raised to 9 feet to accommodate more shelving. The large main room on the first floor is very unusual for the period and has been beautifully upgraded between 2013-2016 to add a new kitchen, renovated bathrooms, bookshelves, and other modifications for a modern home. This building offers an interesting example of the way in which a building may be adapted to suit the changing needs of the times.

Plum House

This federal style frame house was built circa 1830. In an upstairs room, the original wood floor still shows an intricate pattern of "pinholes" left by a standing loom that must been used for many years. The first two-story addition was built in 1845 which added a kitchen and dining area, and an additional curving stairway was added for access to the new upstairs bedroom. The second addition to add a modern kitchen was added in 1945 and remodeled in 2000. A typical Historic New Castle house – with many additions and much loving care in the restoration of the characteristic architecture.

This home will close at 3:00.

Sears House

(Note: This home closes at 3pm)

While the Historic Area Commission Building Database notes this home as being circa 1920, it was probably built closer to 1929. The structure on the site today is one of the few Sears Modern Home Kit houses still standing. From 1908 to 1942, Sears sold more than 70,000 of these houses (shipped in parts and assembled on site) by mail order from their catalogs in North America. The average Sears Modern Home kit had about 25 tons of materials, with more than 30,000 parts – so not a simple assembly project! Census records from 1929 indicate residents in the building that was present on that property in that year; there are no known records of an earlier structure on that site.

Rising Sun Tavern

The diminutive two-story brick Rising Sun Tavern was operating as a tavern by the time of the Revolutionary War. Its first floor features a public room in front and a private room in the rear. The southeastern side of the house has a small window that many people describe as an early “drive-thru” window since patrons could be served without entering the tavern. The tavern had many owners and names over time, and offered both meals and sleeping accommodations and stables for horses. From 1863 to 1882, the tavern was operated by a “popular, shrewd, and intelligent Irishman” named ‘Johnny’ Keegan who renamed it The Rising Sun, and it was patronized in particular for the fine ‘Mandebach’ whiskey that he served.

Hackman House

The original frame house with three floors was built in 1804, among the oldest homes in Historic New Castle. Originally two homes, 315 and 317 Harmony Street, however when it became one, 315 was adopted as the house address. Over time this building has been many things, as the city evolved over the centuries. It was a Blacksmith (1807-1811), a Hackman (person who combs or “cards” coarse flax to make linen cloth, 1846 – 1858), a Watch Repair business (1858-1871), a Boarding House for Students (1869? – 1898), and then the Layton Home for Aged Colored Persons (1898-1925), a wonderful tapestry of life as the nation was being born and growing to current times.

"For the Dogs" House

This house was built in 1947 and has had multiple extensions added. The second front door was at one time the local eye doctor’s office. This is the current home of one of New Castle’s City Councilpersons. Come visit the 10 pups, many clocks, snow people, and local artwork of our amazing town of Historic New Castle. Snacks and hot chocolate will be served.

Truss House

This imposing two story, Victorian Italianate brick structure was built between 1860-1870 with a common wall to 57 The Strand. The builders were the brothers Truss, coal and grain merchants, who lived there for at least half a century. The property was in use at least back to the 1670s with access to a wharf and likely some buildings involved with the thriving trading marketplace of New Castle in that period. In 1796, records confirm there was an old established ferry house, two store houses, stable sheds, and other structures on the property.

Terry House

The Terry House, a Federal townhouse circa 1860, is located in historic New Castle, Delaware. In 1861, when the war stopped construction, Howell J. Terry was cashier of the New Castle branch of the Farmers Bank (at the corner of the Strand and Delaware streets). He died at 130 Delaware Street in 1874, leaving the house to his wife, Rebecca Jane Pippin Terry and his children. The Terry heirs sold the property to the New Castle Century Club (see House #6 for more on the Century Club) in 1916, with the upper floors remodeled as apartments. Today this house is a Bed and Breakfast.