New Castle

New Castle: Lawrence County Courthouse

New Castle, city, seat (1849) of Lawrence county, western Pennsylvania, U.S. It lies at the juncture of the Shenango and Mahoning rivers and Neshannock Creek and in the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains, 20 miles (32 km) southeast of Youngstown, Ohio. Originally the site of a Delaware Indian capital, it was settled in about 1798 by John Stewart, who built an iron furnace and named the place for the English industrial city of Newcastle upon Tyne. Laid out in 1802, it became the terminus for the Erie Extension Canal in 1833. Local deposits of coal, iron ore, limestone, and fire clay provided a natural base for industry. The city’s manufactures include steel and allied products, plastics, pottery, and fireworks. Moraine State Park and McConnell’s Mill State Park are nearby. Inc. borough, 1825; city, 1869. Pop. (2000) 26,309; (2010) 23,273.