The dams along the stretch of the Brandywine where Hagley is situated are a core part of our educational and historic preservation mission “to inspire all people to be innovative in their own lives through investigation and exploration of our historical collections, original DuPont powder yards, and online resources.” The dams are located within a National Historic Landmark District and are eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places for the Eleutherian Mills-Hagley Historic District.
Long before the du Pont family’s arrival in Delaware in 1802, dams along this stretch of the Brandywine were part of water-power systems that ran mills producing staples of early American life. Paper, textiles, flour, and other products were made or processed at water-powered mills along the Brandywine. Famously, the dams were essential for the DuPont Company to manufacture black powder—gunpower and blasting powder—from 1802 to 1921. DuPont black powder had a range of applications in agriculture, construction, hunting, and military purposes. And it was part of pivotal moments in American history including the creation of the Erie Canal, equipping Union forces in the Civil War, and building the Transcontinental Railroad.
Today, Hagley’s historic dams are still used to provide waterpower for daily demonstrations, special tours, and school programs that bring the past to life. An 1870s machine shop, two eight-ton metal roll wheels in a powder mill, a wooden water wheel, and even a 21st-century shuttle bus all use waterpower from the dams to make meaningful connections with this unique chapter in American history while challenging museumgoers to imagine greener, more sustainable futures.
Among these museumgoers are more than 15,000 young learners visiting Hagley on school programs, with their families for popular Science Saturdays, and as campers in the museum’s history and STEM-themed day camps.
The four historic dams located in part or in whole on Hagley property are, moving upstream:
Dam 7: Known as the Breck’s Mill Dam and/or Walker’s Mill Dam, Dam 7 was constructed in 1822. Connecting Breck’s Mill and Walker’s Mill, the dam provides one of the most photographed and painted views of the Brandywine.
Dam 8: Known as the Hagley Dam or Henry Clay Dam, Dam 8 was constructed in 1813. In 1900, this dam began providing water for an innovative hydroelectric station. It is one of the first views of the river seen by museumgoers as they begin their tours of Hagley.
Dam 9: Known as the Upper Hagley Yard Dam, Dam 9 was originally constructed around 1779. It retains its mills race, head wall, and head gates that power Hagley mechanical exhibits today including a wooden water wheel, a turbine that keeps the Hagley Machine Shop off the electrical grid, and the museum’s 21st-century electric shuttle.
Dam 10: Known as the Eleutherian Mills Dam, Dam 10 was constructed in 1803. This is the original dam built under the direction of E. I. du Pont, founder of the DuPont Company, which manufactured black powder at Hagley until 1921.
Witness water power in action throughout Hagley’s historic powder yard during your visit!
