New Castle

First Congregational Church of New Castle

Church · New Castle, NH 03854

The congregation on New Castle Island dates to the 1650s. During the Revolution, the church was the community anchor for a small island town deeply divided over colonial politics. The church building, several times rebuilt, stands on the same ground where the community debated and acted on the central questions of colonial resistance.

Fort Constitution Historic Site

Battlefield · Fort Constitution Rd, New Castle, NH 03854

The site of Fort William and Mary, the British fortification raided by New Hampshire patriots on December 14–15, 1774 — four months before Lexington and Concord. John Sullivan and John Langdon led the raids, seizing 100 barrels of gunpowder and 16 cannon. The powder was used at the Battle of Bunker Hill. The fort was subsequently renamed Fort Constitution. The walls of the fort are partially preserved and maintained by the state of New Hampshire.

Fort Dearborn Site (Great Island Common)

Landmark · Great Island Common, New Castle, NH 03854

Great Island Common, now a public park, includes the site of Fort Dearborn, which was built on the remains of earlier fortifications to defend Portsmouth Harbor during the later years of the Revolution. The common provides views of the harbor entrance that Fort William and Mary had guarded and gives a sense of the strategic geography that made New Castle the key to New Hampshire's coast.

New Castle Island

Landmark · New Castle, NH 03854

New Castle is New Hampshire's only island municipality — a small island in Portsmouth Harbor connected by bridges. Its position at the harbor entrance made Fort William and Mary the gateway to Portsmouth, New Hampshire's most important colonial port. The island retains its colonial-era character, with 18th and 19th century houses lining narrow streets.

Wentworth by the Sea Hotel (Governor's Castle Site)

Landmark · 588 Wentworth Rd, New Castle, NH 03854

Near the site of colonial Governor John Wentworth's summer residence on New Castle Island. Wentworth fled New Hampshire in August 1775 after Patriot pressure made his position untenable — he was the royal governor whose powder magazine had been raided just months before. His departure ended royal government in New Hampshire. The grand hotel that now occupies the area reflects the island's continued role as an elite destination.