Nineteenth-Century Pastimes and Pursuits in “Christmas at Hagley”

Wilmington, Delaware – November and December 2010 – This year’s “Christmas at Hagley” exhibit is inspired by the winter pastimes of the property’s former residents. We welcome you to visit the exhibit, open Friday, November 26, 2010, through Sunday, January 2, 2011. The museum is open 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with the first bus leaving for the exhibit at 10 a.m. and the last bus at 3:30 p.m. The holiday display is included in the cost of admission and is free for members. Hagley, located in the beautiful Brandywine Valley, is where the du Pont story begins and features the original

du Pont mills, estate, and gardens.

Picture the du Pont family in the winter sitting together to play backgammon, reading, listening to music or drawing.  Girls could practice sewing techniques.  Children could entertain themselves by layering different colored sands in a glass bottle. In the Terrace Room, notice the ice skates and sled waiting to be used on a snowy slope. Visiting Eleutherian Mills for the “Christmas at Hagley” exhibit provides an intimate look into the common winter activities of the nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries.

 “During the winter, adults and children spent a lot of time on indoor pursuits.  Children engaged in activities that would prepare themselves for their adult lives but they also had time for playing.  These activities are represented in this year’s holiday display” said Debra Hughes, Curator of Collections and Exhibits. 

Families will also enjoy the activities on Workers’ Hill. Visitors to the Gibbons House will find recipes for traditional Gibbons’s family desserts. Children will enjoy musical instruments, playing games, and making crafts in the Gibbons House and Sunday School. Activities on Workers’ Hill will be November 26-28, weekends in December (4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19, 26), and December 26 through January 2.

The Belin House Organic Café will be serving some seasonal favorites. Check the web site for details and specials.

The Hagley Store will be festively decorated and filled with a unique selection of books, gifts, hand-crafted pieces, and children’s items for the season. The Hagley store is open seven days a week, 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Members receive a 20 percent discount on November 13, 14, and 15, as well as free gift wrapping for purchases over $50.

Hagley Museum and Library collects, preserves, and interprets the unfolding history of American enterprise. Hagley is located on Route 141 in Wilmington, Delaware. Admission to the 235-acre museum site is $11 for adults, $9 for students and senior citizens, $4 for children six to fourteen, and free for children five and under. For more information, call (302) 658-2400 weekdays or visit www.hagley.org.

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