| Eleutherian Mills | |
|---|---|
| (U.S. National Historic Landmark) | |
 |
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| Nearest city: | Wilmington, Delaware |
| Built/Founded: | 1803 |
| Architect: | Unknown |
| Architectural style(s): | No Style Listed |
| Designated as NHL: | November 13, 1966[1] |
| Added to NRHP: | November 13, 1966[2] |
| NRHP Reference#: | 66000259 |
| Governing body: | Private |
From 1802 to 1921, Eleutherian Mills was a gunpowder mill site used for the manufacture of explosives by the Du Pont family business. Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine A National Historic Landmark (NHL is a Building, site, Structure, Object, or District, that is officially recognized by the Events 1002 - English king Ethelred orders the killing of all Danes in England, known today as the St Year 1966 ( MCMLXVI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP is the United States government's official list of districts sites buildings structures and objects deemed worthy of Events 1002 - English king Ethelred orders the killing of all Danes in England, known today as the St Year 1966 ( MCMLXVI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. Year 1802 ( MDCCCII) was a Common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar or a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Year 1921 ( MCMXXI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1921 calendar of the Gregorian calendar The term powder mill is usually used for a mill that manufactures Blackpowder, a type of Gunpowder. E I du Pont de Nemours and Company (,) is an American chemical company that was founded in July 1802 as a Gunpowder mill by Eleuthère Irénée The name also refers to the house on the hill above the mills, which was the first Du Pont family home in America. The business was founded by Eleuthère Irénée du Pont. Éleuthère Irénée du Pont de Nemours ( June 24, 1771 &ndash October 31, 1834) known as Irénée du Pont, or E In 1952, the site became an outdoor museum and the Hagley Museum and Library was founded. Year 1952 ( MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Hagley Museum and Library is a Nonprofit educational institution located in Wilmington Delaware. [3]
Contents |
History
Jacob Broom built a cotton mill on the site in 1795. Jacob Broom ( October 17, 1752 &ndash April 25, 1810) was an American Businessman and Politician from A cotton mill is a Factory housing spinning and Weaving Machinery Cotton was a leading sector in the Industrial Revolution, as cotton Year 1795 ( MDCCXCV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a The mill burned down in 1797, and in 1802 he sold the site, complete with a working dam and millrace to Eleuthère Irénée du Pont, who paid $6,740 for the 95 acres. A dam is a barrier that divides waters. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water while other structures such as Floodgates, Levees A sluice is a water channel that is controlled at its head by a gate Éleuthère Irénée du Pont de Nemours ( June 24, 1771 &ndash October 31, 1834) known as Irénée du Pont, or E [4]
The first domestic supplies of high-quality gunpowder were made in the USA by E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. E I du Pont de Nemours and Company (,) is an American chemical company that was founded in July 1802 as a Gunpowder mill by Eleuthère Irénée [5] The company was founded in 1802 by E. I. du Pont, two years after he and his family left France to escape the French Revolution. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The French Revolution (1789–1799 was a period of political and social upheaval in the History of France, during which the French governmental structure previously an [6]
They set up the Eleutherian gunpowder mill on the Brandywine just north of Wilmington, Delaware, based on gunpowder machinery bought from France and site plans for a gunpowder mill supplied by the French Government. Brandywine Creek may refer to several places in the United States mostly streams Streams British Columbia Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine [6] They also built housing for 30 workers. [4]
Starting, initially, by reworking damaged gunpowder and refining saltpetre for the US Government they quickly moved into gunpowder manufacture. Potassium nitrate is a Chemical compound with the Chemical formula K[[Nitrogen N]] O 3 [6]
Saltpetre was refined in an area between the house and the mills that now is occupied by a formal garden. Charcoal was produced from the willow trees that lined the Bradywine. Charcoal' is the blackish residue consisting of impure Carbon obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from Animal and Vegetation Willows, sallows and osiers form the Genus Salix, around 400 species of Deciduous Trees and Shrubs found primarily
By the end of 1804, DuPont had sold 39,000 pounds of powder; the following year sales tripled. The Federal government and John Jacob Astor's American Fur Company became regular customers. For other pages relating to Astor see John Jacob Astor (disambiguation John Jacob Astor (born Johann Jakob or Johann Jacob Astor) ( July The American Fur Company was founded by John Jacob Astor in 1808 In 1813 the Hagley property, just downstream from the original mills, was purchased, doubling the size and capacity of the mills. Sales grew during the Mexican-American War and the Crimean War. The Crimean War, also known in Russia as the Eastern War (Восточная война Vostochnaya Vojna) (March 1854–February 1856 was fought During the American Civil War, the firm sold 4,000,000 barrels of powder to the Federal government. Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South
A major explosion killed 33 people in 1818. Year 1818 ( MDCCCXVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Another major explosion occurred on the site in 1847. Year 1847 ( MDCCCXLVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common In 1854 three gunpowder wagons exploded in the city of Wilmington. Year 1854 ( MDCCCLIV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common year
The site
The mill buildings used in the manufacture of gunpowder were built with strong stone-walled structures on three sides; but were only covered by light wood structures on the fourth side, which faced out onto the Brandywine Creek. When an accident occurred, the explosion was directed away from the other mills and storage areas and over the creek.
Water power was provided from a mill race behind the mills, thus further isolating the mills in case of accident. A mill race or raceway is the current or channel of a stream esp One water wheel was often used to provide power to two mills. Water turbines were introduced in the 1840s. A turbine is a rotary Engine that extracts Energy from a Fluid flow Alfred Victor du Pont acquired additional property, down stream from the Eleutherian Mills, to add to the manufacturing site. Alfred Victor Philadelphe du Pont ( April 11, 1798 &ndash October 4, 1856) was an American Chemist and Industrialist One of these properties was called Hagley, and it became known as the Hagley Yard.
Most of the industrial remains are located in the Hagley Yard. The mills were used in the purification, crushing, and mixing of charcoal, sulfur, and saltpeter. Charcoal' is the blackish residue consisting of impure Carbon obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from Animal and Vegetation Sulfur or sulphur (ˈsʌlfɚ see spelling below) is the Chemical element that has the Atomic number 16 Other mills in the complex were used for glazing and corning, making metal powder kegs, and in cotton and woolen manufacturing. Gunpowder is a an explosive mixture of Sulfur, Charcoal and Potassium nitrate (also known as saltpetre/saltpeter that burns rapidly producing volumes Stables, offices, a machine shop, and a steam powerhouse from the late 1800s also were located in the complex, as was a narrow gauge railway.
Rundown and closure
After the introduction of smokeless powder, the mills were to be closed in the 1910s, but were kept open at the request of the Federal government until after the end of World War I. Smokeless powder is the name given to a number of Propellants used in Firearms and Artillery which produce negligible smoke when fired unlike the older World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All
In 1952 family members donated 185 acres of land and the DuPont company established a $6,000,000 endowment for the Eleutherian Mill-Hagley Foundation for a museum of industrial history. E I du Pont de Nemours and Company (,) is an American chemical company that was founded in July 1802 as a Gunpowder mill by Eleuthère Irénée Industry in the sense of Professional Manufacturing has existed for millennia since the first Cities rose
The site was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1966. A National Historic Landmark (NHL is a Building, site, Structure, Object, or District, that is officially recognized by the [1][3]
It is located on Delaware Route 141 at Brandywine Creek Bridge. Delaware Route 141 is a bypass around the western suburbs of Wilmington, Delaware.
See also
Gunpowder
USA
Elsewhere
- Ballincollig Royal Gunpowder Mills
- Faversham explosives industry
- Waltham Abbey Royal Gunpowder Mills
References
- ^ a b Eleutherian Mills. Gunpowder was the first chemical explosive and the only one known until the invention of Nitrocellulose, Nitroglycerin, Smokeless powder and Gunpowder is a an explosive mixture of Sulfur, Charcoal and Potassium nitrate (also known as saltpetre/saltpeter that burns rapidly producing volumes Brandywine Battlefield Park is a historical park operated by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, on 50 acres near Chadds Ford, Delaware County The Hagley Museum and Library is a Nonprofit educational institution located in Wilmington Delaware. Ballincollig Royal Gunpowder Mills was one of three Royal Gunpowder mills that manufactured gunpowder for the British Government. The Faversham explosives industry: Faversham, in Kent, has claims to be the cradle of the UK’s explosives industry it was also to become one of its main centres The Royal Gunpowder Mills, Waltham Abbey, an Anchor Point of the European Route of Industrial Heritage, (ERIH set in of parkland and containing National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Retrieved on 2007-09-27. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 489 - Odoacer attacks Theodoric at the Battle of Verona and is defeated again
- ^ National Register Information System. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service (2007-01-23). Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 393 - Roman Emperor Theodosius I proclaims his nine year old son Honorius co-emperor
- ^ a b Richard Greenwood (1979), http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NHLS/Text/66000259.pdf National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Eleutherian MillsPDF (548 KiB), National Park Service and Accompanying 12 photos, from 1966-1975PDF (2. A kibibyte (a contraction of ki lo bi nary byte) is a unit of Information or Computer storage, established by the International 31 MiB)
- ^ a b Kinnane, Adrian (2002). A mebibyte (a contraction of me ga bi nary byte) is a unit of Information or Computer storage, abbreviated MiB. DuPont: From the Banks of the Brandywine to Miracles of Science. Wilmington: E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. ISBN 0-8018-7059-3
- ^ Brown, G. I. (1998). The Big Bang: A history of explosives. Thrupp: Sutton Publishing Limited. ISBN 0-7509-2361-x.
- ^ a b c du Pont, B. G. (1920), E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company: A History 1802 to 1902, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, ISBN 1-4179-1685-0
External links
- DuPont Powder Mill, Hagley Museum, on Brandywine River, Greenville vicinity, New Castle County, DE: 3 photos, 4 drawings, 3 data pages and supplemental material, at Historic American Building Survey
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