An in-depth look at the history of E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Company can be found at The DuPont Company on the Brandywine online exhibit
Also known as: DuPont Company
Owner: Éleuthère Irénée du Pont
Industry type: Gunpowder manufacturing
Location: Eleutherian Mills, Hagley, Henry Clay Mill, Keg Mill, Louviers, Breck's Mill, Rokeby.
Active dates: 1801-1921
Summary: In 1801, French immigrant E. I. du Pont purchased a plot of land along the Brandywine from Jacob Broom, and in 1802, he began constructing a gunpowder mill on the site.
In the fall of 1812, the company purchased an adjacent 62-acre plot of land from Thomas Massey and built a second powder yard known as the Hagley Yard. The company built a third powder yard downstream from the Hagley Yard in 1839.E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. sold gunpowder across the United States through a network of agents. The company also shipped powder overseas and was a leading supplier of gunpowder to the United States Government. During the second half of the nineteenth century, the company expanded into many nearby properties, including Louviers, Henry Clay Mill, the keg mill, Breck's Mill, and Rokeby. By the end of World War I, demand for black powder was declining, and the company was shifting its focus, concentrating more on the chemicals and consumer products that were being produced at other plants in Delaware and across the United States.
In 1921, DuPont closed their original gunpowder mill on the Brandywine. The DuPont Experimental Station, located across the Brandywine from the gunpowder mill, is still in operation today.
An in-depth look at the history of E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Company can be found at The DuPont Company on the Brandywine online exhibit