William Penn founded Dover as the court town for newly established Kent County in 1683. Penn was the proprietor of the territory generally known as the "Lower Counties on the Delaware." In 1717, a special commission of the Delaware General Assembly laid out the city. The capital of the state of Delaware was moved here from Newcastle in 1777 because of its central location and relative safety from British raiders on the Delaware River. Because of an act passed in October 1779, the assembly elected to meet at any place in the state they saw fit, meeting successively in Wilmington, Lewes, Dover, Newcastle, and Lewes again, until the capital moved to Dover permanently in October 1781. The city's central square, known as The Green, was the location of many rallies, troop reviews, and other patriotic events. Today, The Green remains the heart of Dover's historic district and is the location of the Delaware Supreme Court and the Kent County Courthouse.