September 18, 2006

September 18, 2006

While checking out of the hotel, I see a brochure for the Hagley Museum. It seems interesting so I convince Aimee to backtrack a few miles to its location on the outskirts of Wilmington, DE. It turns out to be where Dupont came to this country in 1802 and built a gunpowder factory. The company eventually grew into the chemical giant we know today. The museum is located on the original grounds of the factory and has a very interesting collection. We start in the Visitor Center where they have exhibits on Dupont’s founding of the factory and its later growth.

Next we walk along the banks of the beautiful Brandywine River and see the remains of the original mills that ground, mixed, and compressed the three ingredients of black powder: charcoal, sulfur, and saltpeter. The mills were all powered by waterwheels. The mills were three sided, with the open side facing the river, so when they blew up, (which they did frequently) most of the force would be away from the town. One of the mills still has its equipment in-place and the guide activates it for us. This mill looks like a giant rotating barbell. We also get a tour of the still working water-driven machine shop. The machinery and hands-on demonstrations fascinate even Aimee. We even watch a pinch of gunpowder tested in a portable detonation device.

We then head uphill to tour the foreman’s house, the company's one-room schoolhouse and the Dupont family house. The Dupont mansion and its setting on a bluff overlooking the Brandywine are beautiful. The east coast is much prettier than I ever thought (or have seen before).

It is 4pm so we get back on the highway and head south. We stop at a campground just north of Baltimore. We are camped alongside a wide tributary of the Chesapeake Bay and the weather is clear. I have a beer and do a Sudoku while watching sea gulls dive for fish. Life is good!