Packet Alley is a narrow lane in the heart of New Castle's historic district that served for much of the colonial period as the main staging point for stagecoaches heading south through the Delaware Peninsula. The "packets" were the regular horse-drawn coaches that carried mail, passengers, and goods — and the alley's position between the river landing and the town center made it the transit hub of colonial Delaware.
Many significant figures in early American history passed through Packet Alley on their way between Philadelphia and the southern colonies. The physical space has changed little — it remains a narrow, cobbled lane tucked between historic brick buildings — which makes it one of the more evocative spots in a town already full of evocative spots. Easy to walk past without knowing its history, but worth pausing to imagine the coaches loading up for the journey south.