Great American Houses and Gardens

Watercolors by Chuck Fischer;
Text by Elizabeth Ferber

EXCERPT: From France to America: The Du Pont Family Legacy

Since the arrival of Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours to the young United States in 1800, each successive generation of his heirs has left an enduring cultural and commercial mark on the American landscape. The Du Ponts landed on the shores of the East Coast before settling in Wilmington, Delaware, where Pierre’s son Eleuthère Irénée founded E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. to manufacture black powder. Successive American wars demanded copious amounts of gunpowder, and soon the family had made its fortune.