Friends Of The Appleby Tennis Courts

The Appleby Memorial Tennis Courts were created to honor Richard M. Appleby, Sr.  The facility was built in 1952 in Battery Park, New Castle, DE.  The Trustees of the New Castle Common own and maintain Battery Park.  The three courts have a gazebo with court-side benches from which players have a view of the Delaware River.

The group was formed on January 30, 2010, in the office of Robert Fleck, Sr.  See the Archive section for the minutes of that meeting.

The group's mission is to provide support to the Trustees of the New Castle Common on matters concerning the Appleby Memorial Tennis Courts in Battery Park, New Castle, Delaware. 

The Appleby Tennis courts facility in Battery Park is funded by the The Trustees of the New Castle Common.  The Trustees are a most unusual organization. They are unique within the State of Delaware, and perhaps among these United States. The Trustees have a history as old as New Castle because the common land has existed as such since the days of early Dutch colonization when New Castle was Fort Casimir in 1651.

Now more than 200 years later, this body of 13 Trustees oversee a nonprofit charitable organization founded by William Penn, which was incorporated in 1764 and reincorporated by assembly in 1792. The Trustees purpose is to benefit the citizens, to preserve the historical City of New Castle and the remaining lands and open space now held in trust. Its income is derived primarily from property rentals and investments. 

In more recent years, the Trustees of New Castle Common have used their money in various ways. They bought and developed Battery Park, established the river walkway and wetlands rehabilitation, encouraged historical preservation, built Good Will Fire Company a new fire hall, built a new Public Library. Currently the Trustees annually assist the City Council financially and support a number of local activities. The Trustees continue to support education for City residents by financial grants. 

The Trustees annual appropriation to the City include: Battery Park Maintenance, the Tree Commission, Good Will Fire Company, New Castle Public Library, New Castle Community Progressive Club Tutorial Program, Summer Concerts and financial support to the Mayor and Council of New Castle, as well as various other public and charitable organizations. 

The Trustees is a separate entity from the City Administration and acts as a public charity for the benefit of the citizens of the City of New Castle. No one can vote for a Trustee whose name does not appear on the list of qualified voters as maintained by the Trustees. All Trustee registrations and elections are held separate from City and General Elections.