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In Dupont Family article:

Eleuthère I. du Pont: added: (1966-)

Eleutherian Mills:

History:

Role of the DuPonts:
Eleuthere Irenee Du Pont arrived at the site of Eleutherian Mills in the spring of 1802 to begin the construction of a black powder mill, barn, and a home for his family along the Brandywine Creek. His wife and three children joined him in July 1802, and by 1803, the residence was complete. Their home served as a center of business and social life at Eleutherian Mills for years to come. As E.I. DuPont travelled frequently for business affairs, his eldest son Albert Victor became responsible for managing the running of the mills in his absence. Members of the DuPont family ran the powder mills until its closing in 1921 and continue to hold leadership positions in the E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. Pierre S. du Pont (1870-1954), great great grandson of P.S. Du Pont, founded what is today Longwood Gardens. By 1813, E.I DuPont purchased a neighboring portion of land along the Brandywine River, then referred to Hagley Estate or Hagley Yard, to greater expand the company and build another site for powder mills.

Life at Eleutherian Mills:
Eleutherian Mills served as a home to the Du Pont family for generations, as well as, those who were employed by them. The early DuPont family comprised of E.I. DuPont, his wife Sophie, and their eight children, with extended family in New Jersey. The DuPont household also included those not related to the family, including enslaved individuals who followed the family as they settled in Delaware and indentured servants. Those in the household performed mainly domestic duties, and those employed after the end of slavery and indentured servitude, were often family members of those working in the powder mills. The education of children at this time was commonly the responsibility of an educated father. However, E.I. DuPont’s travels made this impossible. Thus the education of the DuPont children was conducted through older siblings, specifically Victorine. Instead of sending their children to a public school for poor children or to a housewife, they sent Victorine to finishing school when she was 13. At 15, Victorine was considered qualified to teach her younger siblings. (Family Life at Eleutherian Mills)

Powder Mill workers and their families also lived in towns near the powder yard or even along the Brandywine on DuPont property at Eleutherian Mills. Some of these workers’ communities included private family homes, small villages of dwellings, and larger facilities that rented living spaces to employees. The Upper Banks referred to the original powder yards, the main DuPont residence, and workers’ communities upstream along the Brandywine. This area was part of the property purchased and developed by E.I. DuPont in 1802. Many of the workers’ homes were reported to be damaged by the explosion of 1890, and subsequently leveled in 1915. Charles Banks, which comprised of ten to fifteen residences, was located downstream from the Upper Banks and located in front of smaller communities of four to six row home units, specifically Duck Street and Chicken Alley. Other workers’ communities included Walker’s Bank and Henry Clay Village.

The communities and villages developed within and near Eleutherian Mills also provided taverns, general stores, schools, post offices, and more.

Mill Explosions:
Between 1802 and 1921 there were 288 explosions leading to the deaths of 228 people. The three most deadly and remembered explosions occurred in 1818, 1890 and 1915. The 1890 explosion occurred in the Upper Yard, and the 1915 explosion occurred in the Packing House. The 1818 explosion killed 34 people, the 1890 explosion killed 12 people, and the 1915 explosion killed 30 people.