New Castle Court House Museum, also known as New Castle Courthouse Museum, is the center of a circle with a 12-mile radius that defines most of the border of the states of Delaware

Delaware

Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...

 and Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

 and a small part of the border of Delaware and Maryland

Maryland

Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...

. It is one of the oldest courthouses in the United States

Oldest courthouses in the United States

-Active:-Former courthouses:The following other old courthouses still standing today exist as museums, for other government functions, or are now privately owned facilities.-Active:-Former:-See also:*List of courthouse buildings in the United States...

.

It was declared a National Historic Landmark

National Historic Landmark

A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...

 in 1972.

History

The building known today as the "Old Court House" was built in sections during three centuries of colonial and federal government. Prior to the Revolution it served as the meeting house for the governments of the three counties comprising Delaware. For one year (1776–1777) it served as the state house of Delaware. Thence it became the New Castle County courthouse for three centuries. An occasional court held there serves to keep alive the claim that this building is the oldest continuously used chamber of justice in the United States.

See also

• List of the oldest buildings in Delaware
• The Twelve-Mile Circle
  The Twelve-Mile Circle
  The Twelve-Mile Circle is an approximately circular arc which forms most of the boundary between the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the State of Delaware in the United States...
  
  
• Read House & Gardens
• Stonum
  Stonum
  Stonum, also called Stoneham or the George Read House, was the home of George Read, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. His advocacy enabled Delaware to become the first state ratifying the declaration...
  
  

External links

• New Castle Court House Museum
• Old New Castle Courthouse, Delaware Street, New Castle, New Castle County, DE: 4 photos, 3 data pages and supplemental material, at Historic American Building Survey