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History · Newcastle Township

Newcastle Township’s post office opened in 1864, and 42% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1898 on and the census since 1900.

1864first post office
0on the National Register
42%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Jared Winkler · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Newcastle Township began

When was Newcastle Township founded?

1864

The Newcastle Township post office opened in 1864, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 331 in 19002020 census: 402162 years
Founding year: the first Newcastle Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Newcastle Township’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Newcastle Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18983 editions of the USGS map, 1898 to 1986. Watch Newcastle Township change.Boom and bustPeaked at 500 in 1920; 272 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Newcastle Township’s homes were built before 1952.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Newcastle Township’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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On the map

Newcastle Township on the map, 1898 to 1986

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

Newcastle Township on the 1898 USGS mapNewcastle Township on the 1901 USGS mapNewcastle Township on the 1986 USGS map1898Elk Point sheet · 1:125,000

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

People over time

Newcastle Township, census by census

01002003004005001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 500

Peaked at 500 in 1920; 272 people lived here in 2020.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

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

The story

How Newcastle Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Newcastle Township.

Read it all →

Newcastle was incorporated as a village in 1893, soon after the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway was extended to that point. According to one tradition, it was named from a pioneer settler's house that was known locally as the "new castle".

Newcastle hosts a unique Labor Day celebration every year that garners many attendees. Activities include an afternoon parade, fire hose water fights and an old fashioned wheat threshing exhibit.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Newcastle Township, decade by decade

Today3 recent
Mulberry Bend Overlook - Missouri River - Nebraska2022Mulberry Bend Overlook - Missouri River - NebraskaNewcastle, NE2017Newcastle, NENEMap-doton-Newcastle2005NEMap-doton-Newcastle
Famous people

Famous people close to Newcastle Township

Nobody well known was born in Newcastle Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
B
Bruce B. KendallAmerican hotelier and politician · b. 1919
D
Dave BernardAmerican football player · b. 1912
D
Donna SchaferPolitician · b. 1934
J
Jug ThesengaAmerican baseball player · b. 1914
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
Lembke Landing
1cemetery inside Newcastle Township
Ionia

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Hooker TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townSilvercreek TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townPonca TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Newcastle Township’s history

What year was Newcastle Township founded?

The Newcastle Township post office opened in 1864, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
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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 (3), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.