Featured Events

At Hagley's Invention Convention on January 20 and 21, 2019, visitors will learn how to survive in outer space.

Yoga classes for Hagley Members.

A NEW DEAL FOR DIRECT SALES: HOW DIRECT SALES FIRMS HELPED CREATE MODERN NON-EMPLOYMENT, 1910–1935

Direct sales firms utilize a model of independent labor that can be traced back to the peddlers of the colonial period. With the creation of the New Deal, however, direct sales executives began to realize the value of independent contractors as a source of labor potentially free from the new financial and regulatory obligations that would be imposed on employers.

Join one of our Hagley guides for an introductory tour of Hagley’s patent model collection.

This  is  a  sweet  family  event  with  something  for  everyone.    During  Victorine’s  Valentine’s  Day,  visitors  can    mak  a  Victorian  valentine  using  the  “scrap”  method,  write  valentine  verses  with  a  quill  pen,  and  even  take  a  photo  with  Victorine! 

Stop in anytime during one of our wedding open houses to visit the Soda House, Hagley's primary wedding venue.

GPS Address: 298 Buck Rd, Wilmington DE 19807

Visitors will have fun with fluid dynamics and hydraulics - Pascal would be proud! Visitors of all ages are invited to discover solutions to science and engineering challenges.

Julius Rosenwald (1862–1932) rose from modest means as the son of a peddler to meteoric wealth at the helm of Sears, Roebuck. Yet his most important legacy stands not upon his business acumen but on the pioneering changes he introduced to the practice of philanthropy.

Learn how chemistry is used in our everyday lives and marvel in its magic. Visitors of all ages are invited to discover solutions to science and engineering challenges.

Invisible magnetic fields can be used in so many ways. Build a magnet toy and tinker with the force! Families work together to solve science mysteries and engineering challenges.

POLICING FAKES: EARLY TRADEMARK REGULATION IN THE U.S. 

This paper examines the problem of counterfeit goods in the antebellum years, contextualizing the rise of these products and their prosecution by the state within the "freewheeling marketplace" described by Stephen Mihm, Ed Balleisen, and others. Through several case studies, the chapter enumerates the issues at stake in the first trademark infringement lawsuits in the US, including the economic anxieties prompted by the Panic of 1837, the tenuous social position of the middle class, competition between domestic and foreign manufacturers, and the unregulated commercial marketplace. The judges in these lawsuits moralized economic behavior in ways that mirrored then-emergent credit reporting structures, infusing middle-class standards of behavior into commerce.  As the state struggled to keep pace, early regulatory measures adopted similar moral standards to separate legitimate from illegitimate competition.

Learn about Bernoulli’s Principle and have a “lifting” experience as you design a satellite that stays afloat. Visitors of all ages are invited to discover solutions to science and engineering challenges.

THE SYNTHETICS REVOLUTION AND THE SENSES

This paper examines the synthetics revolution in fashion and fibers within the context of the new field of the history of the senses.  The story of the synthetics revolution—the introduction of man-made and test-tube fibers into the textile-fashion supply chain—has most often been told as the story of heroic inventors or the story of the judicious management investment in R&D.  In reality, DuPont and other fiber makers of the mid to late twentieth century were also innovative marketers who invested heavily in product development, advertising, motivational research, and promotion.  Those efforts, in turn, attempted to tap into and capitalize on the hopes, desires, and concerns of consumers on matters of comfort and convenience. 

Enjoy a family-friendly festival of invention, creativity, and resourcefulness, and a celebration of the Maker movement. This event features demonstrations from area makers showcasing craftsmanship and technology in a wide variety of pursuits, from 3-D printing and robotics to fiber arts and woodworking. 

Second annual 5K run/walk to benefit Hagley’s Scholarship Fund. Participants can run or walk along the beautiful Brandywine through Hagley’s 235-acre property. Proceeds from the run will support field trip scholarships for area schools.