New Castle’s history is
mostly unwritten
The public archives hold only 2 old photos of New Castle. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗When New Castle was incorporated in 1888, its economy was largely based on mining coal that was needed by the silver-mining industry to fire silver smelters. On February 18, 1896, a methane explosion in the Vulcan Mine killed 49 men and started a coal fire that was still burning as of 2020. The Vulcan reopened and suffered additional explosions on December 12, 1913 (killing 37) and November 4, 1918 (killing 3).
There are at least 25 coal fires burning near the town. They are normally confined underground.
From 2000 - 2014 the population grew 129%, much higher than the average growth in Colorado over the same period (20.8%).
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowStart New Castle’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how New Castle’s history is told.
1 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewColorado [Adams County - Las Anim…, 1940: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people close to New Castle
See all 17 →
New Castle, decade by decade
![Colorado [Adams County - Las Animas County (part)]](https://images.towntapestry.org/story/1846/0ac1e798f9e5f18180bc-s.jpg)
1990s
Nothing in New Castle is on the National Register yet
That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean New Castle has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Canyon (Canon) Creek School, District No. 32 in Chacra, 4.3 miles away.
New Castle and the nearest listed places
Closest to New Castle
How a place gets listed
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Colorado [Adams County - Las Animas County (part)] (1940) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (6). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.