Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

In 1798, John Carlysle Stewart, a civil engineer, traveled to western Pennsylvania to resurvey the 'donation lands' reserved for Revolutionary War veterans. He discovered that the original survey had neglected to stake out approximately 50 acres (20 ha) at the confluence of the Shenango River and Neshannock Creek, then part of Allegheny County. Claiming the land for himself, he laid out in April 1798 what was to become the town of New Castle. In 1825, New Castle became a borough with a population of about 300. On April 5, 1849, the governor of Pennsylvania signed an act creating Lawrence County with New Castle as its seat. New Castle became a city in 1869, headed by its first mayor, Thomas B. Morgan, with a population of about 6,000. Business flourished with the construction of the Beaver and Erie Canal system, later supplemented and replaced by railroads. In the 1870s, the city became a major hub of the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad. New Castle's population swelled from 11,600 in 1890 to 28,339 in 1900, and to 38,280 in 1910, as immigrants, particularly from Italy, flocked to work in mills and nearby limestone quarries. Italian laborers were frequent victims of the Black Hand society; in 1907 the headquarters of the Black Hand for the entire region was discovered in the village of Hillsville a few miles west of New Castle. With the construction of the largest tin plate mill in America, the city became the tin plate capital of the world. In 1908, New Castle was linked to Pittsburgh by the Pittsburgh, Harmony, Butler and New Castle Railway, an interurban trolley line. Steel, paper mills, foundries, a bronze bushing factory, and car construction plants contributed to the region's economy. Shenango China produced commercial china and created the fine Castleton China line for the White House, including dinnerware for Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and Lyndon B. Johnson. In the 1920s, New Castle enjoyed its greatest prosperity, with the building of many structures such as the Scottish Rite Cathedral, St. Mary's Church, and the Castleton Hotel. New Castle is known both as the 'hot dog capital of the world' and the 'fireworks capital of America'. Its chili dogs are the product of Greek immigrants who came in the early 20th century. The renown for fireworks is credited to two local fireworks companies: S. Vitale Pyrotechnic Industries, Inc. (Pyrotecnico) and Zambelli Internationale. The first fireworks manufacturer in New Castle was Leopold Fazzoni, who came from Italy in 1886 and worked in the tin mills to earn enough money to start his own business. He was issued the first certificate for fireworks manufacturing in the state. Of the people who worked with the Fazzoni family, many founded their own businesses, such as Paul Rozzi, Jacob Conti, Constantino Vitale, and Joseph Zambelli. Pyrotecnico, started by Constantino Vitale in Italy in 1889, who immigrated to New Castle in the 1920s, continues as the city's headquarters. In the 1990s the company's name was changed to Pyrotecnico. Also located in New Castle is Zambelli Fireworks, founded in New Castle, one of the world's leading fireworks and pyrotechnics companies. On February 21, 2026, Pyrotecnico set a Guinness World Record for the largest daytime pyrotechnic display, using over 1000 drones and custom smoke effects to create an American flag 600 feet wide over a public event. New Castle opened Zambelli Plaza near the Cascade Center in 2007 in honor of the Zambelli family's accomplishments. In the 1930s, the city suffered during the Great Depression. The federal government established the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), offering jobs to many displaced workers. Many of the stone walls built by the WPA and the CCC still stand. In the 1940s, industry temporarily surged during wartime. In 1950, the population peaked at 48,834, but became part of the Rust Belt, with population dwindling to 28,334 by 1990. New Castle is the county seat of Lawrence County which has a population of approximately 91,000. In 1998, New Castle was a host city for the History Channel Great Race, with over 15,000 spectators gathering downtown. The city celebrated its 200th birthday in 1998 with a downtown fireworks festival that attracted over 30,000 people. The Lawrence County Courthouse, North Hill Historic District, and Scottish Rite Cathedral are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In Their Own Story

Rain slicked the streets of downtown, reflecting the amber glow of streetlights against the dark steel of the bridges spanning the rivers. Olivia stepped out of the unmarked sedan, her coat collar turned up against the chill. The city hummed with a low frequency, not quite mechanical, not quite natural. Peter watched from the doorway of the warehouse they were investigating, his hand resting near his pocket where he kept his father's old notes. They knew this place wasn't just another crime scene; it was a node in a larger pattern. Somewhere in the fog, the boundary between what should be and what could be felt thinner than usual.

Reader's Guide

New Castle serves as part of the broader United States setting within Fringe. It is not a primary hub for the main characters but represents the nationwide scope of the Division's authority. Its role in the story highlights that fringe science incidents are not confined to major research centers like Boston or MIT. The city's industrial landscape offers atmospheric settings for investigations involving technology and engineering anomalies. It matters because it reinforces the show's premise: the Fringe Division operates across the entire country, tracking threats wherever they emerge.

Did You Know?

• New Castle is known both as the 'hot dog capital of the world' and the 'fireworks capital of America'.
• On February 21, 2026, Pyrotecnico set a Guinness World Record for the largest daytime pyrotechnic display, using over 1000 drones to create an American flag 600 feet wide.
• The first fireworks manufacturer in New Castle was Leopold Fazzoni, who came from Italy in 1886 and was issued the first certificate for fireworks manufacturing in the state.
• Shenango China created the fine Castleton China line for the White House, including dinnerware for Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and Lyndon B. Johnson.
• In 1907 the headquarters of the Black Hand for the entire region was discovered in the village of Hillsville a few miles west of New Castle.