Near Wilmington in New Castle County, Delaware — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Old Pump House
Built 1919
From the outset, supplying water for both household and horticultural needs proved challenging at Nemours Estate. Most of the estate lay too far from the Brandywine River to tap into that source, and City of Wilmington water lines did not reach it until the 1930s. Until then, Nemours Estate mainly relied upon streams, ponds and underground springs for water.
Designed by Carrere and Hastings, the "Old" Pump House held a pump which delivered spring water for household purposes. The pump sent water from an underground cistern through pipes to supply the Water Tower. It remained in use until 1931, when Alfred I. duPont built a larger, more efficient, "New" Pump House. The Old Pump House became a storage shed for garden tools and equipment. It is still used for that purpose today.
I desire to install this [irrigation] system over ten separate vegetable beds, running one length of pipe down the center of each bed. The lengths of the beds vary from 150 to 200 ft. in length. My water pressure at each pipe will approximate 20 to 25 lbs., varying somewhat according to the demand on the system I [am] desirous of startingthe system at once.
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Alfred I. duPont to Skinner Irrigation Co., May 5, 1915
[Captions:]
This advertisement in the May 1917 issue of New Country Life magazine featured the "Skinner irrigation system" which Alfred I. duPont installed two years earlier to water his "kitchen" (vegetable) garden at Nemours Estate.
This 1872 map accompanied an indenture deed for Husbands Run, a stream which ran through land which Alfred I. duPont later acquired. Located half a mile west of Nemours Estate, Husbands Run began supplying it with water in the 1920s, after duPont built a dam and a pumping station.
Erected by Nemours Estate.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Horticulture & Forestry • Natural Resources. A significant historical date for this entry is May 5, 1915.
Location. 39° 46.54′ N, 75° 33.665′ W. Marker is near Wilmington, Delaware, in New Castle County. It can be reached from the intersection of Rockland Road and Childrens Drive, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 234 Alapocas Dr, Wilmington DE 19803, United States of America.
Regionally, this marker is in Greater Philadelphia. It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic and on the Delmarva Peninsula. 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: New Pump House (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Greenhouse Complex (about 500 feet away); Wren's Nest (about 600 feet away); Farm Equipment (about 700 feet away); a different marker also named Farm Equipment (about 700 feet away); Nemours Estate (approx. 0.2 miles away); Laundry (approx. 0.2 miles away); Water Tower (approx. Ό mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Wilmington.
Credits. This page was last revised on April 30, 2025. It was originally submitted on April 30, 2025, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 172 times since then and 26 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 30, 2025, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
