Evening journal., 1911-05-06

within a few months, all of its inhabi-
tants, men, women and children were
cruelty massacred by the Indians. and
for a long time thereafter the settle.
ment was extinct.
There was also a settlement by the
Swedes of a prior date. 16SS) in the
vicinity of Wilmington called Chris
tianaham; but it was captured by
the Dutch soldiers from Fort Casimir
about 1866.
"The Dutch entered the lattle ham
let and the Swedes marched out
With this event the government OF
the Swedes ended in America, and
Christianaham lost its identity as a
fixed and permanent settlement. The
beginning of New Castle was in the
building of Fort Casimir in 1851, by
that intrepid and belligerent old
Dutch governor, Petrus Stuyvesant
whom Washington Irving so aptly
dubbed, Peter, the Headstrong." II
may be interesting for you to know
that his remains now lie buried in a
vault, built for the purpose, in St
Marks Protestant Episcopal church
in the city of New York.
Fort Casimir Site.
"The site upon which Fort Casimir
stood is near the northeasterly end OF
Market street The committee hav-
ing you in charge will doubtless
point it out to you, and also show
you the monumental stone erected by
the Colonial Danes of Delaware, tc
commemorate the Dutch regime In
this state. The name of the little
Dutch town adjacent to the fort, was
called New Amstel, and so continued
until the coming of the English, IL
1864. who changed it to its present
name of New Castle.
Another very interesting monument
Of the past is the building in which
We are now gathered and familiarly
and lovingly called the old Couri
House, In COLONEL days it was both
the state and court house, and con.
tinued to be the court house where
learned judges sat and eminent law.
yers pleaded the cause of justice
until 1881, when the county seat was
removed to Wilmington. Many pre-
cious memories cluster around It
both of ancient and more moderr
times. The wing on the southeast o
the main building, as it was called
was the original court house, anC
stood by itself. II was built abOu
1875, and as the tablet erected on III
southeastern wall will disclose to yot
was the building In which William
Penn was received and welcomed OF
October %, 1882. AS recorded in his
tory, he walked up the man stree
to the court house, where he wal
welcomed with joy, and given actua
and peaceable possession of the for
at New Castle by giving the ke,
thereof TO lock himself alone IN.
door. which being opened by hin
again, the Duke of York, did deliver
also unto him one turf, with twigl
upon it, a pOrrenger with river wate
and soil, I'm part of all what was spe
cified in the said indenture,' form thi
Duke of York to the said William
Penn.
''The main part of the building wher1
about 170S. and tradition says tha
the bell which now hangs in thu
beifry, is the identical bell which wa
presented by Queen Anne of Eng
land. The wing to the northwest wal
at first very small and was built il
1865. II was torn down and the pres
ent larger wing erected in 1916.
There is another very interesting
historical event connected with thi
building or to be more precise will
the southeasterly wing of it, whicl
as / have said was the court hous
in the time Of William Penn. II wa
in ascertaining and establishing tn
celebrated twelve miles circle abou
New Castle which, together with th1
town, was conveyed to Penn by thl
Duke OF York, by deed of feofiment
J bearing date August 4, 1882. Th'