Chantry Field – Ownership and District Involvement

Chantry Field – History, Ownership and District Involvement

The Newcastle Elementary School District is aware of recent community discussion regarding Chantry Field and would like to provide some historical background and clarification regarding the District’s involvement with the property.

Chantry Field is not owned by the Newcastle Elementary School District.

The history of the property dates back to 1904, when J.M. Haight established a trust and identified five individuals as trustees, with the property to be held for the benefit of the residents of the unincorporated village of Newcastle. In other words, the field was established more than 120 years ago as a community asset rather than property belonging to a particular local government agency.

In 1970, the Placer County Superior Court was asked to appoint successor trustees. The court ultimately designated six individuals to serve as trustees. Although those individuals were associated with the Newcastle Fire Protection District, the legal review conducted in 2024 found an important distinction: the Fire District itself was not named as the owner or trustee of the property. The trustees were the individuals appointed by the court. As a result, the Fire District did not have the legal authority simply to deed Chantry Field to another public agency.

That history became important in 2024, when representatives of the Newcastle Fire Protection District approached the Newcastle Elementary School District about the possibility of transferring Chantry Field to the District. The District was receptive to exploring the proposal and sought legal guidance regarding whether such a transfer could occur.

The legal review determined that Chantry Field remains subject to its historic charitable trust and that transferring responsibility for or ownership of the property would require considerably more than a traditional property transfer. Changes to the trusteeship or ownership would potentially require court involvement and consideration of the original purpose of the trust—to preserve the property for the benefit of the Newcastle community.

Ultimately, Chantry Field was never transferred to the Newcastle Elementary School District and is not under the District’s ownership or control.

The District appreciates the historical and community significance of Chantry Field. When the possibility of a transfer was presented, we were willing to explore it. However, the field’s unique history and more than century-old trust arrangement meant that the property could not simply be transferred from the Fire District to the School District as initially contemplated.

Sean Healy
Superintendent
Newcastle Elementary School District