Coming to America: The du Pont Family's Story - Hagley Museum ...

N E W S L E T T E R
Hagley
MUSEUM AND LIBRARY VOL. 29 NO. 1 SPRING 2000
Coming to America:
The du Pont Family’s Story
Why did the du Pont family
leave France for the United States?
What was that long trip like for
them? And, what was life like for
this French family living along the
Brandywine? These questions and
many more will be answered by a
new exhibit, “Coming to
America: the du Pont Family’s
Story,” opening in
Henry Clay Mill on
Saturday, May 6,
2000. In honor of
the 200th
anniversary of the
family’s arrival in this
country, this exhibit
will tell the story of
their immigration.
The story
begins in France
with family
patriarch Pierre
Samuel du Pont
de Nemours, a
French statesman in
the mid-to-late
1700s. This was a turbulent
period in French history that
ultimately led in 1789 to one of
the greatest upheavals in world
history—the French Revolution.
At the end of the eighteenth
century, Pierre Samuel made a
momentous decision to leave the
country of his birth and take his
family, consisting of two sons,
their wives, and their children, to
a new country. They arrived in
the young United States on New
Year’s Day 1800. The family
persisted successfully despite the
long sea voyage, the adjustments
of life in a new country, and the
challenge of starting a company.
The exhibit also details the lives
of the two du Pont sons and the
decisions they made as United
States citizens.
Among the artifacts on
display will be some of the
personal belongings that family
members brought with them
from France, objects they
acquired after moving to
Wilmington, and the handiwork
of the du Pont daughters who
lived at the Eleutherian Mills
r e s i d e n c e .
Hagley Associates will be
invited to an exhibit preview
reception on Friday, May 5.
The exhibit will run daily, from
9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., through
August 31, 2001 (winter hours
in effect January 1 through
March 14, 2001).
American Eagle
by Stanley Arthurs
Pierre Samuel
du Pont de Nemours
and his family were
passengers on this ship
on their journey to
the United States.

PAGE 2
Seagram Records Opened for Researc h
In early January Hagley
opened the records of
Joseph E. Seagram &
Sons. The Seagram
Company records tell the
story of one of North
America’s most
successful business and
entrepreneurial
families. Company
founder Samuel
Bronfman began his
business career as a
hotel entrepreneur
in Manitoba,
Canada, in the
1910s. A decade
later he entered
the beverage
alcohol business
by acquiring
Joseph E.
Seagram &
Sons in Waterloo,
Ontario, one of Canada’s oldest
and most prestigious distillers.
After the repeal of Prohibition
in the United States Seagram
entered the U.S. market with a
line of high quality, blended
whiskies. Much of the
company’s success was due to
its innovative advertising that
linked its brands with the
evolving consumer culture and
the idea of modernity, upward
mobility, and the good life.
The Seagram collection
traces the company’s
transformation from a small
family business into a diversified
multinational company. The
collection includes
advertisements from the 1930s
through the 1980s, market
research studies, as well as
records describing government
regulation, international sales,
finance, and corporate
organization. The Bronfman
family’s philanthropy and
leadership of the Canadian and
the World Jewish Congress is
also documented, as is the
construction of the Seagram
building in New York City,
designed by Ludwig Mies van
der Rohe and considered one of
the great masterpieces of
modern architecture.
Hagley’s published
collection guide to the Seagram
Company Records and
Bronfman family papers is
available upon request. For
more information please contact
the Manuscripts and Archives
Department’s reference desk,
302-658-2400, extension 330.
Left: Guide to Seagram
collections at Hagley
Background: Night view
of the Seagram building
Walter J. Heacock, 1921-1999
Former Hagley Director Walter Heacock passed
away on November 21. Dr. Heacock was a graduate of
Furman University and of the University of Wisconsin.
He was Director of Exhibition Buildings at Colonial
Williamsburg before coming to Delaware in 1954 as
Director of Research and Interpretation at the Hagley
Museum, which opened to the public in 1957. He was the
principal architect of the Hagley Museum and later served
as General Director of the Eleutherian Mills-Hagley
Foundation. He retired from Hagley in 1984.
Dr. Heacock shaped Hagley’s evolution into one
of the nation’s leading historical museums and libraries.
With Dr. John Munroe at the University of Delaware, he
created the Hagley graduate program in the history of
industrial America, which trained many distinguished
historians and leaders of historical agencies throughout the
nation. Two universities–Furman and the University of
Delaware–awarded him honorary degrees in recognition of his
many contributions to historic preservation, education, and the
development of America’s museums. A memorial service was held
at the Soda House on December 8, and a grove of trees in his honor
will be planted between the Soda House and the Brandywine.

THE IMAGE OF THE CENTURY
American Heritage magazine has
selected a photograph from the
collections of Hagley Museum and
Library as the image of the century.
In a special issue published in
December 1999, “Seeing the
Century: 100 Years, 100 Pictures,”
author Harold Evans details the
enormity of choosing just one image
for this honor. After sorting through
tens of thousands of images, he
nominated one from the DuPont
Company archives entitled “A
Year’s Supply of Food.” This 1951
photograph depicts DuPont worker
Steve Czekalinski and his family in
front of a bounty of food his family
would consume in a year. “It
suggests the central story of America
in the twentieth century,” Evans
wrote; “it hints at a fulfillment of
the American dream.” The
photograph was taken by DuPont
Company photographer Alex
Henderson, and ran in the
November/December 1951 issue of
Better Living magazine.
Art & Antiques
The weekend of March
25 and 26, Hagley will host “Art
and Antiques,” an exhibit and
sale, presented by the Delaware
Foundation for the Visual Arts
(DFVA). The DFVA’s first event
of the new millennium will
feature an exceptional collection
of original and fine art in all
media, and a small collection of
choice antique furniture. Hours
are 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on
Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
on Sunday. Admission is $5.
A shuttle bus will take guests
between the library and
Soda House.
Many well-known artists of
the Brandywine Valley area will
be participating in “Art
and Antiques,”
including Larry
Anderson, E.
Jean Lanyon,
W i l l i a m
Renzulli, Jim
M c G l y n n ,
Carolyn Blish,
Edward Loper, Dennis
Park, Bill Dawson, Carol
Gray, Charles Rowe, Ed
Vandernoot, John Matassa, and
Marjorie Egee. Aida Pasternak,
Kathy Logue, and Irma
Reinhold, all members of the
Delaware Foundation for the
Visual Arts, will display their
works in porcelain.
For more information,
or to receive an invitation to the
Friday night opening reception,
contact Hagley’s development
office (302) 658-2400, ext. 302.
PAGE 3

PAGE 4
Upcoming Events
St. Patrick’s Day Plans
March will feature a St.
Patrick’s Day weekend
celebration on Hagley’s
Blacksmith Hill, a community
that represents the many areas
around the DuPont powder
works where Irish immigrants of
the nineteenth century lived and
worked. From the earliest days of
the powder yards throughout
the nineteenth century, the
DuPont Company hired many
Irish immigrants who left their
native land in search of a better
life. It was the Great Famine,
between 1845 and 1849, that
Charles Merrill Lecture
On Thursday, April 6,
Hagley will present a lecture,
“Wall Street to Main Street:
Charles Merrill and Middle Class
Investors,” by Edwin J. Perkins.
The lecture is based on his
recent book of the same title.
Charles Merrill (1885-1956) is
Spring Concert
Simple melodies and
homespun lyrics will be in tune
on Sunday, May 7, when the
Chorus of the Brandywine, a
men’s barbershop chorus, will
present a concert from 3:30 to
5 p.m. in the Soda House
auditorium. Wonderful old
Fireworks and All That Jazz
On Friday, June 9, and
Friday, June 16, (Rain dates are
June 10, 11 and June 17, 18)
Hagley will present its annual
fireworks show with the
uniquely American music style
of jazz.
brought the largest numbers of
Irish to the Brandywine.
On St. Patrick’s Day
weekend the museum will
celebrate the lives of these
workers. On Friday, March 17,
visitors may enjoy tea and Irish
soda bread or scones in the
Gibbons House and hear the
stories of the Irish children, like
Septima Hurst and Ann
McGran, who attended the
Brandywine Manufacturers’
Sunday School. On Saturday and
Sunday, March 18 and 19, a
variety of fun and participatory
renowned as the founder of
Merrill Lynch & Co., the
world’s largest brokerage and
investment firm. Dr. Perkins, an
expert on the historical
development of American
financial services, presents a look
at one of the most innovative
songs will be sung in the
traditional barbershop style as
this uniquely American music
form takes you back to the
good old days. The close
harmonies will be sung by the
group of forty-five men from
the Wilmington area.
“Fireworks and All That
Jazz” celebrates the best in jazz.
Enjoy a full evening of family
picnicking and fun with a finale
of fireworks. Tickets are $25 for
adults, $10 for children 14 and
under. Tickets available for
activities will bring out the Irish
in everyone. Natives of Ireland
will teach you to write your
name in Gaelic. There will be
Irish storytelling, the chance to
learn Irish folk dancing, and
more to bring the sights, sounds,
and aromas of Ireland right here
at Hagley.
The Friday program runs
from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.,
and those on Saturday and
Sunday from 12:30 p.m. to 4
p.m. All activities are included
with regular museum admission.
entrepreneurs of the twentieth
century. The lecture will be held
at 7 p.m. in the Copeland Room
of the library, with a reception
following. The event is free and
open to the public. Please call
( 3 0 2 ) 658-2400, ext. 302, for
r e s e r v a t i o n s .
Call the membership office
at (302) 658-2400, ext. 235,
weekdays for reservations.
Tickets are $5 for Hagley
Associates and $7 for guests.
Complimentary light
refreshments will be served
during intermission.
purchase by Hagley Associates
only. Invitations will be mailed
at the end of April.

Midwest Cities Tour
Plenty of sightseeing is on
the itinerary for an autumn trip
to three wonderful midwestern
cities, Dearborn, Grand Rapids,
and Chicago, from September
20 - 25.
On day one, departure is
from Hagley to the Philadelphia
International Airport to board
the flight to Detroit. Upon
arrival, there will be a guided
tour of the fashionable Grosse
Point area followed by lunch.
Then it is on to a tour of the
Edsel and Eleanor Ford House
built by the Ford Motor
Company executive to
accommodate both his family
and their extensive decorative
and fine arts collection.
The tour’s second day is
entirely devoted to exploring the
Henry Ford Museum and
Village. This museum complex
is a ninety-three-acre monument
to American innovation and
enterprise. Documenting nearly
three centuries of technological
and cultural change, the
museum’s collections encompass
communications, transportation,
industry, agriculture, and
domestic life. On display is the
Name:
Address:
Telephone:
largest single automobile
exhibition in the United States.
Craft and trade demonstrations
include printing and
tinsmithing, pottery making,
glass blowing, and
blacksmithing.
Then it is on to Grand
Rapids to tour the Frederik
Meijer Gardens. A dramatic and
recent addition to the numerous
pieces of sculpture displayed in
the garden is a recreated twentyfour-foot-high
Leonardo da
Vinci horse. Lunch in the
Victorian Tearoom is followed
by a visit to the Gerald Ford
Museum, where exhibits depict
his private life and public career.
Once in Chicago, the first
item of business is an
architectural tour of the city.
Time will be devoted to the
contributions that Ludwig Mies
van der Rohe and Frank Lloyd
Wright made to the city’s scene.
The next day features a river
cruise and lunch atop the John
Hancock building overlooking
Lake Michigan. And of course a
visit to the city would be
incomplete without a visit to the
Art Institute of Chicago, which
T R I P R E S E R V A T I O N F O R M
Please return this tear slip
along with your check payable to Hagley Associates to:
Volunteer and Membership Office
Hagley Museum and Library
P.O. Box 3630
Wilmington, DE 19807-0630
contains one of the world’s best
collections of impressionist and
post-impressionist paintings.
The trip’s final stop is the
Chicago Historical Society, one
of the nation’s leading
historical societies.
Among its many
treasures is an
original copy of
the Declaration of
Independence.
The cost of the
trip includes round
trip bus and airplane
t r a n s p o r t a t i o n ,
a c c o m m o d a t i o n s ,
attraction admissions,
most meals and a
welcome reception,
taxes and gratuities for
lodging, guides, and
drivers, and luggage
handling. Costs: $1,565
for each Hagley Associates,
$1,615 for each guest. A
deposit of $200 is due with
each reservation. Final payment
is due August 1, 2000. Space
is limited.
I would like to reserve ________ spaces for the
Midwest Cities Tour from September 20-25, 2000.
_________ Hagley Associates at $1,565 each
_________ Guests at $1,615 each
_________ Single Supplement, $391
_________ Total Enclosed
A deposit of $200 required with your reservation.
A recreated
Leonardo da Vinci
Horse is the largest
equestrian sculpture
in the world.
PAGE 5

PAGE 6
Identification
Statement
Publication Title:
Hagley Museum
and Library
Statement of
Frequency:
Published Quarterly
Name and Address:
Hagley Museum
and Library
P.O. Box 3630
Wilmington, Delaware
19807-0630
Phone:(302) 658-2400
E d i t i n g :Suzanna Rogers
Jill MacKenzie
Design: Adam Albright
Storybook Event Features Two New Headliners
Two storybook themes new
to the museum’s annual
Storybook Garden Party are
headlining this popular
celebration of books
and reading this
spring. Spot
Goes to the
Circus
and
Little
House
Country
will be
joining returning
favorites
Arthur’s
Adventures
in the Library
and Ms. Frizzle’s
World of Science at the
Garden Party on Saturday, April
29, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Each of the enchanting areas
will feature strolling characters,
make-and-take handicrafts,
performances, and more to
bring the books to life.
Jugglers, clowns, tumblers,
puppets, and Spot the Dog will
get into the act for the great
show under Hagley’s big top.
This popular puppy, the star of
the Spot the Dog book series,
will host the Spot Goes to the
Circus area. Kids can create a
circus craft, meander through a
maze, and visit with wild
animals. Plus, music from a
color calliope will set the scene
for circus fun.
The homespun charm of
life on the prairie will come alive
in Little House Country.
Youngsters can join Laura
Ingalls Wilder, author of the
Little House on the Prairie
book series, to find out what it
was like to grow up on the
prairie. Nancy Short, youth
service librarian in Kent and
Sussex counties, will portray the
author and character of Laura.
There will be old-fashioned
games, dances, and songs. Kids
will also be able to knead dough
for biscuits with Laura, fashion
a quilted craft, make a
nineteenth-century toy, and
gather round a Conestoga
wagon and enjoy old-time
music and stories.
Arthur’s Adventures in the
Library will return with several
new elements including the
chance to learn the alphabet
Arthur’s way while building a
giant alphabet puzzle and
house. Two of a Kind, a
musical duo, will perform the
Arthur theme song and lots
more. And Laugh-Aroni will
provide a comedy show for kids
of all ages. Their comic
vignettes include a skit called
“On the Road to Writing a
Book,” which takes a humorous
look at the steps and stumbles
of publishing. At the end of the
show, kids can participate in an
“open mike”
session to tell
their own jokes
and possibly win
an autographed
book. And of
course, Arthur will
make a personal
appearance to visit with
the children.
Visitors can board the
Magic School bus to Ms.
Frizzle’s World of Science
and attend a science show,
visit with Ms. Frizzle, a n d
enjoy the entertainment of
Kidz ‘N’ Company, a
teenage song and dance
troupe who donate their
profits to the Make a
Wish Foundation of
America.
The day will also
include the crowning of
Hagley’s Storybook
Champion and other
winners of the “Budding
Authors” storybook
writing contest. Open to third
grade classes in New Castle
County schools, the contest is
held each year in conjunction
with the Garden Party.
Contributors to the
Storybook Garden Party
include: Delaware Children’s
Theater, Delaware Dance
Company, Delaware Museum
of Natural History, the National
MS Society READaTHON,
READ-ALOUD Delaware, and
Cub Scout Pack 29.
For the event use Hagley’s
Buck Road East entrance off
Route 100. All of the day’s
activities are included in one
low admission price: $18 for a
family or $7 for adults, $4 for
children six to fourteen, and $1
for children under six. Hagley
Associates and Powder Keg Kids
are admitted free of charge. In
the event of rain, many of the
event’s activities
will be
moved
indoors.

Classical Piano Concert
On Sunday, April 16,
Hagley will present a classical
piano concert featuring two
prize-winning Russian pianists.
The concert will be held in the
Carpenter Auditorium at the
Soda House at 4 p.m. with a
“Meet the Artists” reception
immediately following. The
program includes music by
Chopin, Liszt, Rachmaninoff,
and Schubert.
Maria Fomina started
studying piano at age five and
made her debut with an orchestra
at age eight. Her many piano
prizes include the President
Award in Russia, the Houston
Symphony Ima Hogg National
Young Artists Competition, and
the California International
Young Artists Competition.
She received her education in
Moscow and at the University
of California and is currently
pursuing graduate studies at the
Manhattan School of Music in
New York. She maintains an
active performing schedule,
which includes a performance
with the San Diego Symphony
this season, as well as recitals in
the United States and Europe.
Sergey Podobedov first came
to the attention of the musical
world in 1984 when, at the age
of twelve, he performed Chopin’s
Second Piano Concerto with the
Gorky Philharmonic Orchestra of
Russia. The astounding success
of that performance led to
numerous engagements across
the former Soviet Union and,
in 1990, participation as the
youngest competitor in the
Tchaikovsky Competition.
He won numerous first place
competition prizes and
scholarships. After finishing
his studies in London and
Vienna, he performed in
California and Europe.
Tickets for this fund-raising
event are $60 (of which $20 is tax
deductible). Proceeds will benefit
Hagley’s educational programs.
For tickets and information,
contact the development office
(302) 658-2400, ext. 302.
This is a story of
invention and
chemistry and the
fate of the inventor of
nylon. Wallace Carothers was hired by DuPont
in 1928 to lead a program in basic research. Carothers
brought a passion to his work, and wanted to synthesize
extraordinarily large molecules. In a burst of creativity
in the spring of 1930, Carothers gave us our first truly
synthetic rubber and fiber. The rubber quickly became
neoprene; the fiber, in time, led to nylon. Carothers took
an infant science called polymer chemistry, defined it, and
guided it toward its present maturity.
Literature meets
cuisine in this
collection of recipes
from Jane Austen’s household
and time period. Dine on delicious fare that befits
Northanger Abbey and Mansfield Park while learning
about domestic life in Jane Austen’s time and discovering
how food and mealtimes help to convey the characters in
her fiction. Selected quotations from the novels and
charming illustrations round out this tribute to the
customes and cookery of an elegant age and its most
elegant pen.
PAGE 7

JANUARY 3 - MARCH 10
(2000 WINTER HOURS)
Museum Hours:
Weekends, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Weekdays, tour at 1:30 p.m.
Library Hours:
Monday through Friday
8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Second Saturday of each month
9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
MARCH 13 - JANUARY 2
(REGULAR HOURS)
Museum Hours:
Daily, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Library Hours:
Monday through Friday
8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Second Saturday of each month
9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
March 17, 18, 19
St. Patrick’s Day weekend will bring out the Irish
traditions at Hagley. See story on page 4.
March 25, 26
Art and Antiques sponsored by the Delaware Foundation
for the Visual Arts in cooperation with Hagley Museum
and Library. See story on page 3.
April 6
Evening lecture by Edwin J. Perkins on Charles Merrill of
Merrill Lynch & Co. See story on page 4.
April 16
Special performance by prize-winning Russian classical
pianists Maria Fomina and Sergey Podobedov in the Soda
House auditorium. See story on page 7.
April 29
Storybook Garden Party. The area around Hagley’s
E. I. du Pont Garden will turn into a magical land of
storybook characters, music, and games. See story on
page 6.
May 5
Hagley Associates Exhibit Reception (by invitation).
“Coming to America: The du Pont Family’s Story.”
See story on cover.
May 7
Hagley Associates Spring Concert. Barber Shop Quartet.
See story on page 4.
May 16-21
Hagley Associates six-day trip to Asheville,
North Carolina.
June 9, 16
(Rain dates are June 10, 11 and June 17, 18) Fireworks
and All That Jazz. Hagley’s annual fireworks spectacular
celebrates the best in jazz. See story on page 4.
June 25
Summer Celebration of Cultures: French Fête. Join us for
our celebrations of various cultures on the last Sunday of
each month this summer. These special celebrations will
explore the French, Italian, and Irish heritages of our site,
starting with the French Fête in June. The Fête, centered
at Eleutherian Mills, will explore French traditions and
culture. From 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Free for Hagley
Associates, half-price regular admission for guests.
Included with regular museum admission.
August 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
Bike and Hike at Hagley. Enjoy an evening stroll
or a ride through the scenic Hagley property along
the Brandywine River.
September 17
Hagley Car Show. This annual event showcases vehicles
from throughout automotive history. Trucks are the
special feature for the event in 2000.
September 20-25
Hagley Associates six-day trip to Dearborn, Grand
Rapids, and Chicago. See story on page 5.
October 21, 22
Craft Fair. Artisans demonstrate and sell their work.
November 3, 4, 5
Festival of Museum Shopping. Enjoy holiday shopping at
your favorite museum stores, all at Hagley!
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