The first Du Pont black powder was made in these powder yards in 1804 launching one of the longest standing and most innovative American enterprises since this country’s founding.

This spectacular new, guided 30 minute experience is an optional add-on to any of Hagley’s group tours.  Guests experience the surprising effect of a burning dish gunpowder demonstration, the impressive firing of a signaling cannon, and the magnificent blast of a field mortar cannon.  The fee for this breathtaking culmination to any of Hagley’s dramatic tour experiences is $200 flat rate.  50 person maximum.

In this ninety-minute walking tour guests will discover the fascinating stories of the immigrant workers who lived along the Brandywine and worked for the DuPont Company in the black powder manufactory. This is the only tour that offers in-depth commentary on Workers’ Hill. Each guest will be assigned the name of a person who worked in the powder yard or lived in the workers’ community. During the tour the guests will learn about the role their person played. The tour involves walking on uneven ground.
 

This engaging new 90 minute guided walking tour explores the vital nature of Blue Gneiss, a geologic formation specific to the spectacular Brandywine Valley, and its fundamental importance to the establishment of the DuPont Company.  Guests discover the economic importance of gneiss to the black powder manufactory which depended upon the Brandywine for fundamental resources, understand the history and composition of gneiss, and experience the way gneiss was excavated and used as the primary building material in the powder yards.  The visit, involving walking on some uneven ground, culminate

In this exciting new 90 minute guided walking tour guests experience first-hand the fascinating history of gunpowder; its many applications, especially in the nineteenth century; and the entire process of black powder production from ingredients to packing.  A fascinating walk through the powder yards along the banks of the spectacular Brandywine River demonstrates the DuPont Company’s pioneering influence in the powder making industry, the family’s personal impact with the quality steps they introduced, and the innovative ideas they brought to the process.  Visitors can appreciate the beau

This fascinating new 90 minute guided walking tour demonstrates the evolution of waterpower and the introduction of state of the art waterpower generation facilities in the DuPont Company’s black powder manufactory in the nineteenth century.

Dig into two very different gardens – one fed the du Pont family and the other DuPont Company workers in the 1800s. This tour explores the cultural and economic factors influencing the architecture, produce, and the philosophies of each garden, as well as a visit into the dining room of the du Pont family home. Tour includes bus transportation through the property and some walking on uneven ground. 

This tour is perfect for groups who wish to spend more time at Hagley and to enjoy more fully the many points of interest throughout the property. This tour includes everything that is in the Brandywine tour as well as the exhibits in the Visitor Center and a visit to Workers’ Hill, which shows where the mill workers lived and their children attended school. The Gibbons House is the restored foreman’s home and gives a glimpse of home life in a nineteenth century mill community. The Brandywine Manufacturers’ Sunday School is where the children of the mill workers attended school.

Take a journey through the historic DuPont Company black powder yards and the garden and grounds of the first du Pont family home in America. This tour will show guests what makes Hagley unique—the black powder yards, the historic machinery, and the original home of the du Pont family in America. Guests will see demonstrations of our nineteenth-century machine shop, watch a water turbine bring our eight-ton iron roll mills to life, and witness a black powder explosion.