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History · New Castle

New Castle’s post office opened in 1829, and 24% of its homes were built before 1940

1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 111 buildings. Below: maps from 1955 on and the census since 1860.

1829first post office
1on the National Register
24%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How New Castle began

When was New Castle founded?

1829

The New Castle post office opened in 1829, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 225 in 18602020 census: 125197 years
Founding year: the first New Castle post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about New Castle’s past

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

A historic districtThe New Castle Historic District takes in 111 historic buildings.A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of New Castle are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 702 in 1920; 125 people lived here in 2020.Deep rootsA post office since 1829: 197 years of New Castle.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

1 listing protects 111 historic buildings

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

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
111
each building in a district counts
first listed
1973
New Castle Historic District
New Castle Historic District
Districts

Architectural styles listings

Mid-19th Century1
Greek Revival1
Late Victorian1
Italianate1
Queen Anne1
Stick/Eastlake1
New Castle Historic DistrictMid-19th Century

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

Help out

Start New Castle’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how New Castle’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

New Castle, census by census

0100200300400500600700190019502000Peak: 702

Peaked at 702 in 1920; 125 people lived here in 2020.

16 censuses, 1860–2020.

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

The story so far

New Castle, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of New Castle yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

New Castle (historically spelled as one word; "Newcastle") is the only town in Craig County, Virginia, United States. The population was 125 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Craig County. The junctions of State Route 311 and State Route 42 and State Route 311 and State Route 615 are in New Castle. New Castle is part of the Roanoke metropolitan area.

Its first post office opened in 1829. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 153 to 125 (-18%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

New Castle, 1829 to 1955

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1829Post officeThe New Castle post office opens
  3. 1878Born hereBill Kay is born here
  4. 20th century
  5. 1920Born hereWheeler Bryson Lipes is born here
  6. 1920CensusPopulation peaks at 702
  7. 1955On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

New Castle, decade by decade

Today11 recent
Craig County Courthouse2017Craig County CourthouseView from Route 42 overlook 22016View from Route 42 overlook 2View from Route 42 overlook2016View from Route 42 overlookNew Castle, Virginia2016New Castle, VirginiaNew Castle, Virginia - panoramio - Idawriter2016New Castle, Virginia - panoramio - IdawriterNew Castle, Virginia - Panorama2016New Castle, Virginia - PanoramaNew Castle town hall, Market and Middle2016New Castle town hall, Market and MiddleNew Castle Overlook off Route 422016New Castle Overlook off Route 42Red Roofed Church2007Red Roofed ChurchVAMap-doton-NewCastle2005VAMap-doton-NewCastleCraig County VA courthouse2005Craig County VA courthouse
On the map

New Castle on the map, 1955 to 1961

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

New Castle on the 1955 USGS mapNew Castle on the 1961 USGS map1955Bluefield sheet · 1:250,000

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

Famous people

2 famous people were born in New Castle

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

See all →
B
Bill KayMajor League Baseball outfielder · b. 1878
Wheeler Bryson LipesRecipient of the Purple Heart medal · b. 1920

Questions about New Castle’s history

What year was New Castle founded?

The New Castle post office opened in 1829, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in New Castle?

One place: the New Castle Historic District (listed 1973).

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 (11), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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) 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.