10 Ways to Explore Hagley Museum and Library in Wilmington, Delaware

On a recent trip to beautiful Wilmington, Delaware (read our full City Guide here), we had the opportunity to learn all about the history of the du Pont family and the DuPont Company, one of the first- and largest- supplier of black powder. One of the best ways to learn about the company and prominent Delaware family is to explore the property that includes both the home of the du Pont family and the gunpowder manufacturing site for the DuPont Company:  Hagley Museum and Library.

Located on the banks of the Brandywine River (which fueled the powder mills), the DuPont Company was founded in 1802 by E. I. du Pont, who left France in 1799 to come to America. The DuPont company created black powder, which included products like blasting powder (used to clear land and help build canals, roads, and tunnels) and gunpowder (used for hunting and in fireworks) in manufacturing sites on the property. E. I. du Pont also built his Georgian-style mansion on the property in 1803 and five generations of the du Pont family lived there until the early 20th century.  The property expanded several times throughout the 19th century, adding more mill races, mill buildings, and over a mile of infrastructure to make the company more efficient, productive, and safer.

While the DuPont company focused on safety precautions and made many efforts to keep workers safe, there were close to 300 explosions during the mill’s 119 years, killing over 200 workers. The mills closed in 1921, as dynamite took the place of gunpowder for most engineering purposes and the company focused on developing chemical products.

The 230+ acre property opened as Hagley Museum and Library in 1957 and now welcomes visitors to explore the museum exhibits, take self guided tours of the Powder Yard Trail, tour the mansion, walk the grounds and gardens, and learn all about the DuPont family and company. Hagley Museum and Library is very kid friendly and the entire family can enjoy the better part of a whole day exploring the historic sites and participating in workshops and special events.

Travel Tips:

10 Ways to Explore Hagley Museum:

1. Learn about some of the most famous patents in the Nation of Inventors in the Visitor Center. The exhibit features 120 patent models from the 1790s through 1900, including technology advancements, medical devices, and even food preparation.
2. Drop in on a Science Sparks! activity in the Discovery Loft. Located on the second floor of the Visitor Center, Science Sparks! offers different, hands-on engineering challenges multiple times each month. 

3. Count the number of Roll Mills as you walk along the Powder Yard Trail, which showcases how the DuPont Company made blasting powder and gunpowder. Visitors can walk from the Visitor Center to the Powderman Building, and then see more of the Roll Mills from the shuttle tour to the main house- see the full trail map here. Be sure to check out the Missile Map that shows the site of the January 2, 1920 explosion of 50,000 pounds of gunpowder that killed five workers. 
4. Watch live demonstrations of the only operating black powder roll mill in America, including black powder demonstrations, coal fired engine demonstrations, and roll mill demonstrations. The 1870s Machine Shop (housed inside the Millwright Shop) has several working machines, all powered by turbines and water wheels (one is a 16 foot Birkenhead water wheel- the oldest at Hagley) supplied by the Brandywine River. Today, the machine shop is mainly used to repair shafting equipment. 
5. Walk through the exhibits inside the Millwright Shop building, which include several dioramas of the Press House, Glazing Mill, Graining Mill, Dry House, Cooper’s Shop, and Powder Magazine. Take note of the various refinery tools, such as forks, rakes, skimmers, ladles, and scoops that are on display.
6. Try to count the number of Blue Rock stones in the pile outside the Powderman Building- and check out the stone boat ( a “sled”) used to transport the heavy stones to various construction sites. The local, Minor League (and Washington Nationals affiliate) baseball team is named the Blue Rocks in honor of the stones. 
7. Tour the Eleutherian Mills Residence, the first du Pont family home in America, built in 1803. Take the shuttle to the home and spend a few minutes in the orientation exhibit with a guide, who will share the family lineage and history. Take a guided tour and explore three floors of the home; see everything from the kitchen to dining room to bedrooms to parlors. Don’t miss the Jean Zuber wall covering (a 1913 printing of the 1834 Zuber design) from France (a similar wall covering is on display in the Diplomat Room at the White House) and the dumb waiter sent food from the basement kitchen to the Butler’s Pantry on the first floor. 

8. Smell the fragrant flowers in the French inspired E. I. Du Pont Garden, located just in front and to the side of the main house. The two acre garden includes over two dozen types of flowers and is surrounded by apple, peach, and pear trees. 
9. Choose a favorite antique car from the du Pont collection in the Hagley Barn. The collection includes a 1911 Detroit Electric Car, 1918 Cadillac Type 57, and a 1931 Children’s Speedster. 
10. Learn about the French, Irish, Italian, and English migrants who worked at the powder yards and lived at the Worker’s Hill Community. Peek inside the home of the yard foreman and the Sunday School (where workers’ children were taught by Victorine du Pont), and take note of the yard gates, where workers had to be inspected each day to ensure they didn’t bring any powder into the complex that would spark an explosion. 

Looking for more adventures in Wilmington? Check out our full City Guide and our features of Nemours Estate, the Delaware Museum of Nature and Science, and Winterthur. And follow along with us on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and X.

Disclosure: Our family was given a media pass to tour Hagley Museum. All opinions expressed are my own.