Eleutherian Mills
Eleutherian Mills | |
Working powder mills on Brandywine Creek, about 1905. Note the handwritten "These blow up occasionally, and then?" | |
| Location | North of Wilmington, DE on Delaware Route 141 at Brandywine Creek Bridge |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 39°46′50″N 75°34′30″W / 39.78056°N 75.57500°W |
| Area | 191.2 acres (77.4 ha) |
| Built | 1803 |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000259 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | November 13, 1966 |
| Designated NHL | November 13, 1966 |
From 1802 to 1921, Eleutherian Mills was a gunpowder mill site used for the manufacture of explosives founded by Eleuthère Irénée du Pont, which grew into the DuPont company. The name also refers to the house on the hill above the mills, which was the first du Pont family home in America. In 1957 the site became an outdoor museum when the Hagley Museum and Library was founded. The site was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1966.