The Powder Yard closed Aug. 24 to allow contractors to work safely with heavy equipment and complete several projects that would be difficult to undertake while visitors are present. The remainder of the museum remains open.

While the historic Powder Yard is temporarily closed, visitors can still explore the du Pont family home, gardens and the museum’s “Nation of Inventors” exhibition through Sept. 4.

WILMINGTON, Del. — Hagley Museum and Library is offering half-price admission through Sept. 4 while crews complete preservation and maintenance projects in the historic Powder Yard along the Brandywine.

The Powder Yard closed Aug. 24 to allow contractors to work safely with heavy equipment and complete several projects that would be difficult to undertake while visitors are present. The remainder of the museum remains open.

Visitors can continue to explore the Visitor Center and “Nation of Inventors” exhibition, as well as the historic du Pont family home and gardens. The Museum Store also remains open.

The temporary discount gives visitors an opportunity to experience major portions of Hagley while paying 50% of the regular admission price.

Work protects historic industrial site

The two-week closure allows Hagley to address several infrastructure and preservation needs across the Powder Yard, the industrial heart of the museum’s 235-acre property.

Crews are dredging the mill race inlet to remove accumulated silt and debris and maintain the flow of water into the historic power system. The race once directed water from the Brandywine to the mills and machinery that helped operate the powder works.

Other work includes replacing the roof of the Millwright Shop and stabilizing sections of masonry along the mill race. Those repairs are intended to protect historic structures from weather, water erosion and further deterioration.

Hagley also is removing hazardous trees in the Powder Yard and Crowninshield areas. That work requires road closures to protect visitors, employees and contractors.

Additional preventive maintenance is being completed during the shutdown, allowing Hagley to coordinate multiple projects within a relatively short period.

More than a museum

Although the work may be easy to describe as routine maintenance, preserving Hagley carries unusual significance for Delaware.

The property is the site of the original DuPont powder works, established along the Brandywine in 1802 by Éleuthère Irénée du Pont. The business grew into one of the world’s leading manufacturers of black powder and became the foundation of the DuPont company.

Its success influenced Delaware’s economy, workforce and identity for generations. The company’s later expansion into chemicals and materials science also helped establish Delaware as an important center for research and innovation.

The Hagley site tells that larger story through its mills, mill race, waterpower system, machine shops, workers’ community and Eleutherian Mills, the du Pont family’s first American home.

It was both an industrial operation and a community. Immigrant workers and their families settled around the powder yards, creating neighborhoods and family connections that became part of the history of Wilmington and the Brandywine Valley.

Maintaining the site therefore involves more than preserving individual buildings. The work protects one of the few remaining landscapes where visitors can see how waterpower, manufacturing, immigration, labor and family life came together during America’s early industrial development.

What visitors can see now

The Powder Yard is one of Hagley’s signature attractions, but visitors still have access to other important parts of the museum during the closure.

The “Nation of Inventors” exhibition examines the people and ideas behind American innovation. It draws on Hagley’s extensive collections to explore how inventors identify problems, develop solutions and bring new products and technologies into everyday life.

The historic home and gardens offer a different view of Hagley’s story, introducing visitors to the du Pont family and the domestic life that developed alongside the industrial operation.

Together, the open attractions provide an opportunity to understand both the personal and innovative sides of the site while the Powder Yard undergoes needed work.

The Powder Yard is scheduled to reopen after Sept. 4.

To Go

• What: Hagley Museum and Library
• Temporary closure: The historic Powder Yard is closed through Sept. 4 for preservation and maintenance work.
• Admission: General admission is 50% off during the Powder Yard closure.
• What remains open: Visitor Center, “Nation of Inventors” exhibition, historic home and gardens, and Museum Store.
• Location: 200 Hagley Creek Road, Wilmington
• Learn more: Visit hagley.org.

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