Have you ever heard of the popular saying, “No good deed goes unpunished?”

I wonder if there is a reverse to that, especially when it comes to stumbling into history?

Earlier in June, my uncle needed to go out of town and wanted someone to watch his house and two cats. He resides outside of Wilmington, Delaware. Thinking mid-June would be a good time to catch some of the historical sites in Philadelphia on the brink of the 250th in July, and with World Cup soccer games being played in the same city, even better.

I planned to go into the “City of Brotherly Love” one day, but thought the other day I would just drive around Wilmington and New Castle and see what I could discover. A day with no set plans. And that is when I stumbled into “Separation Day” in New Castle.

On June 15, 1776, the Delaware Assembly passed the Act of Separation, in which that body of men declared the lower three counties of Pennsylvania independent from that colony and also Great Britain. This day and decision are celebrated yearly on the weekend nearest that date in New Castle.

Complete with a small parade, Revolutionary War encampment, and street vendors, New Castle shows off all its charms. The brick buildings and homage to its colonial roots reminded me of a smaller version of Colonial Williamsburg. In addition, the National Park Service runs part of the First State National Historical Park out of a few of the historic buildings.

Within the exhibits in the visitor center is the replica militia flag (seen below) that was carried by the Delaware militia. The original was captured by William Dansey of the British Army before the Battle of Brandywine in September 1777.

The New Castle Court House Museum preserves the original courthouse, constructed in 1732, which was the site where representatives of those three counties–New Castle, Kent, and Sussex–declared their independence, along with being the site of the first capitol.

On the other side of the town green stands Immanuel on the Green Episcopal Church, which is the final resting place of numerous veterans of the American Revolutionary War.

Definitely an interesting historical find on a beautiful June day. New Castle, Delaware, is keeping history alive and worth the visit, even outside of the “Separation Day” weekend.