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History Matters: Hagley Powder Yard

History Matters digs into the Delaware Historical Society’s archives each month to explore connections between key people, places, and events in history and present-day news.

The Hagley Museum lies on a plot of land on the western bank of The Brandywine River just north of where it intersects with Route 141.

But from 1804 until after the first World War, it was the home of the Dupont Hagley Powder Yard – a mill comprised of intricate water-powered machines and their operators -refining and producing the explosive black powder that kindled the fortunes of Delaware’s most renown family.

Since then –the widespread use of black powder has decreased significantly and the Dupont Company has moved on – expanding and innovating in many other areas.

But in this month’s History Matters, Delaware Public Media’s Anne Hoffman and Karl Malgiero take us on a trip back to the 19th century for a look inside where the material that turned ‘DuPont’ into a household name was made – with the help of Hagley archivist Lucas Clawson and museum guide Mike Wilson.


History Matters:Hagley Powder Yard

History Matters:Hagley Powder Yard

[Producer: Anne Hoffman; Videographer/Editor: Karl Malgiero

Trouble with video? Watch it on YouTube.


This piece is made possible, in part, by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency dedicated to nurturing and supporting the arts in Delaware, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.