Daily Cannon Firings Bring History to Life at Hagley Museum

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 

Daily Cannon Firings Bring History to Life at Hagley Museum

Popular demonstrations bring new excitement to the historic DuPont powder yards

WILMINGTON, Delaware (November 2, 2026) – History is booming at Hagley Museum and Library! Beginning Saturday, November 7, Hagley will fire its signal cannon every day the museum is open, making the popular demonstration part of the daily visitor experience.

Signal cannon firings have long been a part of Hagley Museum's programming on holidays, special events, and the last Sunday of every month. Now, the historic DuPont powder yards at Hagley will ring out with the sound of a cannon firing at 1 p.m. on each day of normal museum operations, weather permitting.

“Hagley is a place where guests experience history with all their senses. Daily cannon firings add an exciting new element to that unique aspect of a visit to the museum,” says museum director and chief creative officer Mike Adams. “In keeping with our mission to ‘inspire all people to be innovative in their own lives,’ the firing is preceded by a short educational demonstration about how signal cannons were used to solve a very specific communication challenge in the 19th century.”

Traditionally used aboard ships and along waterfronts to sound warnings, direct vessels, or mark celebrations, signal cannons are small but mighty. Hagley's cannon uses a charge of black powder and a slow-burning fuse to produce an impressive boom that echoes through the historic powder yards, where the DuPont Company manufactured black powder from 1802 to 1921.

The daily firings add another dimension to exploring Hagley's 19th-century industrial site, where history comes alive in demonstrations of water-powered machinery and the ingenuity that helped shape modern America. Throughout the day, guests can take in other black powder demonstrations during tours included with museum admission. From the thunder of the cannon to the sight and sounds of working water-powered machinery, guests discover how innovations from the past inspire curiosity, creativity, and new ideas today.

November offers even more reasons to visit. Daily cannon firings come at a perfect time to visit Hagley when the site’s 235 acres are filled with the colors of fall. The museum will also honor veterans’ service with free general museum admission for veterans from Saturday, November 7, through Tuesday, November 10.  

Experience history with a bang at Hagley Museum and Library. For museum hours, admission information, and upcoming events, visit www.hagley.org.

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About Hagley Museum and Library
Located on 235 acres along the banks of the Brandywine River, Hagley is the site of the gunpowder works founded by E. I. du Pont in 1802. This National Historic Landmark provides a unique glimpse into American life at work and at play in the 19th century. Hagley’s library is the nation’s premier business history library, preserving the records of thousands of American companies and the stories of the people who built them.

Hagley Museum and Library seeks to inspire all people to be innovative in their own lives through investigation and exploration of our historical collections, original DuPont powder yards, and online resources.

Images: Cannon firing images for media use are available here.