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A−History
History · Newark

Newark dates to 1694, and 56 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 79% of U.S. towns · #11 of 37 in Delaware. What drives it

Most of Newark was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1978. 56 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 9 buildings between them. Below: 17 old photos and papers, maps from 1891 on, and the census since 1860.

1694founded
56on the National Register
5%homes built before 1940
17old photos & papers
12famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Newark’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Newark began

When was Newark founded?

1694

Newark dates its founding to 1694 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1860.

First census: 787 in 18602020 census: 30,601332 years

How historic is Newark?

A−

More historic than 79% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1808.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Newark’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Newark is more historic than 79% of U.S. towns, #11 of 37 in Delaware. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Newark’s overall grade.
Founding era1694, from Wikidata: founded before 1776, an older era than 96% of U.S. townsA+Homes built before 19404.8% of homes (±2.3) · typical DE town 5.9% · U.S. 8.4%CNational Register56 listings, 125 historic buildings, 41.2 per 10,000 residents · typical DE town 29.4 · U.S. 2.4A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 79%
NewerOlder
Delaware towns of 2,500+ (37)Ahead of 72%

Delaware towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Delaware town has 29.4 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Newark’s 41.2 sits near the middle of its state (64% of Delaware towns have fewer) while its 125 historic buildings outnumber those of 91% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A+. The pre-1940 share (±2.3 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1694.

Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Newark’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Landmarks on the Register56 places on the National Register.Lost villages21 hamlets and corners are still on the map.Older than the countryEstablished in 1694, 82 years before the Declaration of Independence.A town in old photos17 old photos, postcards and papers, 1968–1993.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

56 historic places in Newark

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. Boundary changes and added documentation are counted with their listing.

places listed
56
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
125
each building in a district counts
first listed
1972
England House and Mill
England House and MillWelsh Tract Baptist Church, built 1746White Clay Creek Presbyterian Church, built 1855Cooch's Bridge Historic DistrictAndrew Fisher HouseOld College Historic DistrictDean, Joseph, & Son Woolen MillAetna Hose, Hook and Ladder Company Fire Station No. 2, built 1922Aetna Hose, Hook and Ladder Company, Fire Station No. 1, built 1890Baily HouseBuilding at 140 W. Main StreetBuilding at 28-34 1/2 Academy StreetCurtis MansionCurtis Paper Mill Workers' HousesDeer Park Hotel, built 1851Exchange BuildingGeorge Evans HouseMemorial HallNewark Opera HouseNewark Passenger Station, built 1877Old First Presbyterian ChurchOld Newark Comprehensive SchoolSt. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church, built 1883St. Thomas Episcopal ChurchWilmington Trust Company BankWright HouseAnderson House, built 1806Bank of Newark BuildingBell FarmhouseBelmont HallBlue Hen FarmBuilding at 34 Choate StreetChambers HouseDeer Park FarmGranite MansionGreen MansionJohn Evans HouseMeteer Store HouseRhodes PharmacyState TheaterEdward R. Wilson HouseAndrew Kerr HouseHead of Christiana United Presbyterian ChurchJames Morrow HouseJames Steel HouseThomas Phillips Mill ComplexOtt's ChapelBartley-Tweed FarmJohn C. Vansant HouseMeeteer HouseCharles and Edith Liedlich HouseStuart Randall & Pricilla Kellogg Carswell HouseAcademy of Newark
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Greek Revival7
Neo-Classical5
Georgian3
Second Empire3
Gothic Revival3
Colonial2
England House and MillBuilding
Welsh Tract Baptist ChurchBuilt 1746
White Clay Creek Presbyterian ChurchBuilt 1855
Cooch's Bridge Historic DistrictGreek Revival
Andrew Fisher HouseGeorgian
Old College Historic DistrictDistrict
Dean, Joseph, & Son Woolen MillBuilding
Aetna Hose, Hook and Ladder Company Fire Station No. 2Neo-Classical · Built 1922
All 56 listings
Aetna Hose, Hook and Ladder Company, Fire Station No. 1Building · listed 1982Baily HouseBuilding · listed 1982Building at 140 W. Main StreetBuilding · listed 1982Building at 28-34 1/2 Academy StreetBuilding · listed 1982Curtis MansionBuilding · listed 1982Curtis Paper Mill Workers' HousesBuilding · listed 1982Deer Park HotelBuilding · listed 1982Exchange BuildingBuilding · listed 1982George Evans HouseBuilding · listed 1982Memorial HallBuilding · listed 1982Newark Opera HouseBuilding · listed 1982Newark Passenger StationBuilding · listed 1982Old First Presbyterian ChurchBuilding · listed 1982Old Newark Comprehensive SchoolBuilding · listed 1982St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic ChurchBuilding · listed 1982St. Thomas Episcopal ChurchBuilding · listed 1982Wilmington Trust Company BankBuilding · listed 1982Wright HouseBuilding · listed 1982Anderson HouseBuilding · listed 1983Bank of Newark BuildingBuilding · listed 1983Bell FarmhouseBuilding · listed 1983Belmont HallBuilding · listed 1983Blue Hen FarmBuilding · listed 1983Building at 34 Choate StreetBuilding · listed 1983Chambers HouseBuilding · listed 1983Deer Park FarmBuilding · listed 1983Granite MansionBuilding · listed 1983Green MansionBuilding · listed 1983John Evans HouseBuilding · listed 1983Meteer Store HouseBuilding · listed 1983Rhodes PharmacyBuilding · listed 1983State TheaterBuilding · listed 1983Edward R. Wilson HouseBuilding · listed 1983Andrew Kerr HouseBuilding · listed 1983Head of Christiana United Presbyterian ChurchBuilding · listed 1983James Morrow HouseBuilding · listed 1983James Steel HouseBuilding · listed 1983Thomas Phillips Mill ComplexBuilding · listed 1983Ott's ChapelBuilding · listed 1986Bartley-Tweed FarmBuilding · listed 1986J. Eastburn BarnBuilding · listed 1986John C. Vansant HouseBuilding · listed 1989Meeteer HouseBuilding · listed 1993Iron Hill School No. 112CBuilding · listed 1995Charles and Edith Liedlich HouseBuilding · listed 2006Stuart Randall & Pricilla Kellogg Carswell HouseBuilding · listed 2011Academy of NewarkBuilding · listed 1976African Union Church and Cemetery of Iron HillBuilding · listed 2021

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Places that used to be

Old corners and burying grounds

Newark’s post office has been open since 1808.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Arbour ParkCatalina GardensCherry HillChristina ManorCollege ParkCottage MillCristine ManorDevonFairfieldFairfield CrestFoxfieldHunting HillsLumbrookNonatum MillsNottingham GreenNottingham ManorOaklandPencaderRobscott ManorSilver BrookYorkshire
1cemetery inside Newark
Saint Johns

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Timeline

Newark, 1694 to 1997

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 17th century
  2. 1694
    FoundingNewark is established
  3. 18th century
  4. 1746BuiltWelsh Tract Baptist Church is built
  5. 19th century
  6. 1808Post officeThe Newark post office opens
  7. 1855BuiltWhite Clay Creek Presbyterian Church is built
  8. 1890BuiltAetna Hose, Hook and Ladder Company, Fire Station No. 1 is built
  9. 20th century
  10. 1922BuiltAetna Hose, Hook and Ladder Company Fire Station No. 2 is built
  11. 1960Born hereJack Markell is born here
  12. 1968In the archiveDETAIL OF LOWER PORTION OF SOUTH ELEVATION OF DAM WALL, LOOKING NORTH - Whitman Estate, L…
  13. 1969Born hereDave Sheridan is born here
  14. 1977In the archiveNEWARK YARDS. NEWARK, NEWCASTLE CO., DE. Sec. 1201, MP 39.50. - Northeast Railroad Corrid…
  15. 1984On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  16. 1986In the archiveSharksballoon1
  17. 1993In the archiveVIEW EAST, APPROACH ABUTMENT WALL DETAIL - Thompson's Station Bridge, Spanning White Clay…
  18. 1995Born hereValarie Allman is born here
  19. 1997Born hereDonte DiVincenzo is born here
The story

How Newark came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Newark.

Read it all →

Newark was founded in 1694 by Scots-Irish and Welsh settlers. It was officially established in 1758 when it received a charter from George II of Great Britain.

Schools have played a significant role in the history of Newark. A grammar school, founded by Francis Alison in 1743, moved from New London, Pennsylvania to Newark in 1765, becoming the Newark Academy. Among the first graduates of the school were three signers of the Declaration of Independence: George Read, Thomas McKean, and James Smith. Two of these, Read and McKean, went on to have schools named after them in the state of Delaware: George Read Middle School and Thomas McKean High School.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Newark, decade by decade

4 decades in the archive, from the 1960s to the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1960s6 items
DETAIL OF LOWER PORTION OF SOUTH ELEVATION OF DAM WALL, LOOKING NORTH - Whitman Estate, Lower Pond Spillway, Approx. .5…1968DETAIL OF LOWER PORTION OF SOUTH ELEVATION OF DAM WAL…DETAIL OF REPOINTING ON EAST ELEVATION OF WEST PARAPET WALL NEAR JUNCTION OF DAM AND PARAPET WALL, LOOKING WEST - Whitm…1968DETAIL OF REPOINTING ON EAST ELEVATION OF WEST PARAPE…DETAIL OF SOUTH ELEVATION OF DAM WALL, SHOWING WATER FLOW AND PORTION OF WEST PARAPET WALL, LOOKING NORTHWEST - Whitman…1968DETAIL OF SOUTH ELEVATION OF DAM WALL, SHOWING WATER …EAST ELEVATION OF EAST PARAPET WALL, LOOKING ACROSS DAM TO SOUTHWEST - Whitman Estate, Lower Pond Spillway, Approx. .5 …1968EAST ELEVATION OF EAST PARAPET WALL, LOOKING ACROSS D…ENVIRONMENTAL VIEW OF SOUTHEAST PORTION OF LOWER POND AND SPILLWAY WITH FOREBAY IN FOREGROUND, LOOKING SOUTH - Whitman …1968ENVIRONMENTAL VIEW OF SOUTHEAST PORTION OF LOWER POND…ENVIRONMENTAL VIEW OF SOUTHEAST PORTION OF LOWER POND AND SPILLWAY, LOOKING SOUTH - Whitman Estate, Lower Pond Spillway…1968ENVIRONMENTAL VIEW OF SOUTHEAST PORTION OF LOWER POND…
1970s–1990s11 items
NEWARK YARDS. NEWARK, NEWCASTLE CO., DE. Sec. 1201, MP 39.50. - Northeast Railroad Corridor, Amtrak Route between Maryl…1977NEWARK YARDS. NEWARK, NEWCASTLE CO., DE. Sec. 1201, M…Sharksballoon11986Sharksballoon1Sharksballoon21986Sharksballoon2Sharksballoon41986Sharksballoon4VIEW EAST, APPROACH ABUTMENT WALL DETAIL - Thompson's Station Bridge, Spanning White Clay Creek on Chambers Rock Road (…1993VIEW EAST, APPROACH ABUTMENT WALL DETAIL - Thompson's…VIEW EAST, ROADWAY ELEVATION AND SETTING - Thompson's Station Bridge, Spanning White Clay Creek on Chambers Rock Road (…1993VIEW EAST, ROADWAY ELEVATION AND SETTING - Thompson's…VIEW NORTH, LOOKING AT ENTIRE SOUTH SIDE OF BRIDGE - Thompson's Station Bridge, Spanning White Clay Creek on Chambers R…1993VIEW NORTH, LOOKING AT ENTIRE SOUTH SIDE OF BRIDGE - …VIEW NORTHWEST, DETAIL OF DECK, TRUSS, AND STEEL HANDRAIL - Thompson's Station Bridge, Spanning White Clay Creek on Cha…1993VIEW NORTHWEST, DETAIL OF DECK, TRUSS, AND STEEL HAND…VIEW SOUTH, LOOKING AT ENTIRE NORTH SIDE OF BRIDGE - Thompson's Station Bridge, Spanning White Clay Creek on Chambers R…1993VIEW SOUTH, LOOKING AT ENTIRE NORTH SIDE OF BRIDGE - …VIEW WEST, ORIGINAL PLAQUE ON NORTH PORTAL - Thompson's Station Bridge, Spanning White Clay Creek on Chambers Rock Road…1993VIEW WEST, ORIGINAL PLAQUE ON NORTH PORTAL - Thompson…VIEW WEST, ROADWAY ELEVATION AND SETTING - Thompson's Station Bridge, Spanning White Clay Creek on Chambers Rock Road (…1993VIEW WEST, ROADWAY ELEVATION AND SETTING - Thompson's…
Today5 recent
Newark, Delaware, including the University of Delaware2008Newark, Delaware, including the University of DelawareNewark, Delaware, including the University of Delaware2008Newark, Delaware, including the University of DelawareLife Philosophy2008Life PhilosophyWhiteClayCreek2006WhiteClayCreekDEMap-doton-Newark2004DEMap-doton-Newark
On the map

Newark on the map in 1984

The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Newark.

Newark on the 1984 USGS map1984Wilmington sheet · 1:100,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Newark.

Every building

Newark, building by building, 1891–1922

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Newark fire insurance map, 1891, sheet 11891Sheet 1 of 3
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

DETAIL OF LOWER PORTION OF SOUTH ELEVATION OF DAM WALL, LOOKING NORTH - Whitman Estate, Lower Pond Spillway, Approx. .5…
Retake this viewDETAIL OF LOWER PORTION OF SOUTH ELEVATION OF DAM WALL, LOOKING NORTH - Whitman Estate, Lower Pond Spillway, Approx. .5…, 1968

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Newark’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Newark, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,00035,000190019502000Peak: 31,454

Between 787 and 31,454 people in every census since 1860.

17 censuses, 1860–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Newark’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

12 famous people were born in Newark

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Valarie AllmanAmerican discus thrower · b. 1995
Jack MarkellAmerican politician · b. 1960
Dave SheridanAmerican actor · b. 1969
Donte DiVincenzoAmerican basketball player · b. 1997
Harry CooverAmerican inventor of Super Glue · b. 1917
Anthony FontanaAmerican soccer player · b. 1999
Help out

Finish Newark’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
4 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewDETAIL OF LOWER PORTION OF SOUTH ELEVAT…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Brookside1 historic placeD

Questions about Newark’s history

What year was Newark founded?

In 1694, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Newark’s post office opened in 1808, and the census of 1860 counted 787 people here.

How does Newark rank for history?

Newark is more historic than 79% of U.S. towns, #11 of 37 in Delaware. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Newark?

56 listings: 54 buildings, among them the England House and Mill (listed 1972, the first), and 2 historic districts, the Cooch's Bridge Historic District and the Old College Historic District, with 9 contributing buildings. 125 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Newark?

5% of Newark’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.3 points), against a typical 5.9% for a Delaware town; the median home was built in 1978.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (22), Wikidata (5), the National Register of Historic Places (56), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.