Hagley Museum near Wilmington in New Castle County, Delaware — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

The Hagley Story
⎯⎯⎯
The du Pont Story

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), April 27, 2025

1. The Hagley Story / The du Pont Story Marker

Inscription. The Hagley Story Hagley tells the stories of a family (du Pont) and their 19th-century gunpowder company (DuPont). Both made their homes on this mile-long stretch of the Brandywine River. In just a few generations, this sparsely populated area became a major industrial hub that reshaped the nation.

The Du Pont Story The Hagley story starts in Paris, France, in 1790s, amid the turmoil of the French Revolution. The du Ponts were a well-connected family who had been at the center of major events since the 1760s.

The family patriarch was Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours (nuh-MOREs). A widely-read author and publisher, Pierre Samuel held important government posts in France before and after the Revolution. He knew and corresponded with Louis XVI and Napoleon Bonaparte. He also knew prominent Americans including Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson.

With his first wife, Nicole-Charlotte Marie-Louise le Dée de Roncourt, Pierre Samuel had two sons who survived to adulthood—Victor Marie and Éleuthère (ELL-you-tair) Irénée (EAR-reh-nay).

Erected by Hagley Museum and Library.

Topics. This historical marker

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is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Communications • Industry & Commerce • Wars, Non-US.

Location. 39° 46.655′ N, 75° 34.447′ W. Marker is near Wilmington, Delaware, in New Castle County. It is in Hagley Museum. It can be reached from Hagley Creek Road north of Blacksmith Hill Road, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 300 Hagley Creek Rd, Wilmington DE 19807, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Greater Philadelphia.

It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic,

on the Delmarva Peninsula,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Netherland

and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Victor du Pont (here, next to this marker); Éleuthère Irénée du Pont (here, next to this marker); Leaving France / Arriving in America

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), April 27, 2025

2. The Hagley Story / The du Pont Story Marker

(here, next to this marker); Trees (here, next to this marker); Starting the DuPont Company (here, next to this marker); Natural Resources (a few steps from this marker); Settling on the Brandywine (a few steps from this marker); Water (a few steps from this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Wilmington.

Additional keywords. French Revolution

Credits. This page was last revised on April 29, 2025. It was originally submitted on April 29, 2025, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 130 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 29, 2025, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.

The Hagley Story⎯⎯⎯The du Pont Story

The Hagley Story
⎯⎯⎯
The du Pont Story