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History · Newport

Newport dates to 1641, and 18% of its homes were built before 1940

10 places in town are on the National Register. Below: maps from 1904 on and the census since 1880.

1641founded
10on the National Register
18%homes built before 1940
4famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Newport began

When was Newport founded?

1641

Newport dates its founding to 1641 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 535 in 18802020 census: 910385 years
Founding year: Wikidata.The full story ↓

What stands out about Newport’s past

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

Older than the countryEstablished in 1641, 135 years before the Declaration of Independence.A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Newport are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,366 in 1970; 910 people lived here in 2020.On the map since 19046 editions of the USGS map, 1904 to 1993. Watch Newport change.
★ What stands out · Timeline

Newport, 1641 to 1970

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

  1. 17th century
  2. 1641
    FoundingNewport is established
  3. 18th century
  4. 1750Born hereGeorge Latimer is born here
  5. 1752Born hereHenry Latimer is born here
  6. 1755Born hereOliver Evans is born here
  7. 20th century
  8. 1904On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  9. 1934BuiltWoman's Club of Newport is built
  10. 1934Born hereDallas Green is born here
  11. 1970CensusPopulation peaks at 1,366
Help out

Start Newport’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Newport’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Newport, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,40018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,366

Peaked at 1,366 in 1970; 910 people lived here in 2020.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

The story

How Newport came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Newport.

Read it all →

Prior to European settlement, the Minquas (or Susquehannock) peoples lived in and around modern-day Newport. This heritage is reflected in the name of the Minquas Fire Company, Newport's volunteer fire company.

The first land grant for the area were awarded to the Duke of York in 1641. In 1735, longtime area resident and businessman John Justis purchased 100 acres (0.40 km2) and several years later the streets of a town called Newport-Ayre were laid out. According to Newport histories, Justis saw the area's potential as a commercial crossroads and a port.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Newport, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Newport DE Masonic Temple2011Newport DE Masonic TempleMinquas FD2011Minquas FDGalloway Walker2011Galloway WalkerCollison Hs2011Collison Hs7 9 W Market20117 9 W Market15 Augustine201115 Augustine
On the map

Newport on the map, 1904 to 1993

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Newport. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Newport on the 1904 USGS mapNewport on the 1919 USGS mapNewport on the 1948 USGS mapNewport on the 1967 USGS mapNewport on the 1987 USGS mapNewport on the 1993 USGS map1904Wilmington sheet · 1:62,500

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

Every building

Newport, building by building, 1921–1927

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.

Newport fire insurance map, 1921, sheet 11921Sheet 1 of 2
Edition
BrickWoodStone

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

On the National Register

10 historic places in Newport

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
10
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
10
each building in a district counts
first listed
1993
Armstrong Lodge No. 26, A. F. & A. M.
Armstrong Lodge No. 26, A. F. & A. M.Collison HouseGalloway-Walker HouseJoseph Killgore HouseJoseph Tatnall HouseKillgore HallLewis Weldin HouseNewport National BankWoman's Club of Newport, built 1934Newport Railroad Station
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals4
Colonial Revival3
Vernacular: Hall-Parlor Plan2
Late Victorian1
Second Empire1
Colonial1
Armstrong Lodge No. 26, A. F. & A. M.Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals
Collison HouseLate Victorian
Galloway-Walker HouseVernacular: Hall-Parlor Plan
Joseph Killgore HouseVernacular: Hall-Parlor Plan
Joseph Tatnall HouseColonial
Killgore HallLate 19th and 20th Century Revivals
Lewis Weldin HouseVernacular: Stair-Passage Plan
Newport National BankLate 19th and 20th Century Revivals
All 10 listings
Woman's Club of NewportBuilding · listed 1993Newport Railroad StationBuilding · listed 1994

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

Famous people

4 famous people were born in Newport

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

See all →
Oliver EvansAmerican inventor · b. 1755
H
Henry LatimerAmerican politician · b. 1752
Dallas GreenAmerican baseball player, manager, executive · b. 1934
G
George LatimerAmerican politician · b. 1750
Places that used to be

Old corners and burying grounds

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Colony HillsNewport Heights
1cemetery inside Newport
Saint James

Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Newport’s history

What year was Newport founded?

In 1641, according to Wikidata. the census of 1880 counted 535 people here.

What is on the National Register in Newport?

10 listings: 10 buildings, among them the Armstrong Lodge No. 26, A. F. & A. M. (listed 1993, the first).

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (6), the National Register of Historic Places (10), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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.