DuPont Hagley Mill - Historic Site and Travel Review

One of America's oldest families - the duPont dynasty has been involved in the growth of business and the defense of this country for the last two centuries. Situated on 235 acres along the Brandywine River in Delaware, Hagley was the birthplace of the DuPont company, starting with the making of gunpowder begun by E. I. duPont in 1802. DuPont furnished gunpowder to the U.S. government, which was used in virtually every conflict from the War of 1812 up through recent conflagrations involving the United States and foreign combatants. Hagley became the focus of research in developing various products sold by DuPont and led to the company gaining prominence in the chemical industry throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.

Why is the area called Hagley Mills? The name existed before the duPonts arrived in the early 1800's and most likely derived from the wealthy merchant Rumford Dawes, who owned the property in the late 1700's and was known to admire the rural beauties of the famed English estate called English Hagley. His property contained those aspects found on English estates along with a working mill.

Today, the Hagley Mill is a museum containing the Henry Clay Mill, which exhibits massive stone mills and storehouses of the Powder Yard, complete with a working waterwheel, turbine, steam engine and machine shop . The Hagley grounds the Georgian-style mansion Eleutherean Mills, the first duPont family home in America. Built by DuPont Company founder E.I. duPont in 1803, the house contains antiques, portraits and mementos of five generations of the du Pont family. The house is also surrounded by a restored French-style garden based on the original planted by duPont, an avid botanist. Hagley's Belin House Restaurant is located on Workers' Hill, a restored community that depicts the home lives of the DuPont Company mill workers and their families. More about visiting Hagley Mill...