Mining the Nation’s Business

       In March 2004, Hagley Museum and Library received an addition of over 25,000 photographs for their existing U.S. Chamber of Commerce collection. Many of these photographs, which were originally from the files of the Chamber’s publication "Nation's Business,"  were taken by some of the 20th century's greatest photographers, and this new addition proved to be a photo curator’s dream.

To read more, visit Hagley Library and Archives Blog: Mining the Nation's Business.

Volunteers Needed for Gardens at Hagley

Workers’ Garden Volunteer meeting

February 2 at 1pm

For anyone interested in volunteering in the Workers’ Garden located on Workers’ Hill.  Angela Williamson will briefly cover some of the history, expectations of volunteers, and why we have a garden on Workers’ Hill.  RSVP only yes to 302-658-2400 ext. 257 or awilliamson@hagley.org

E. I. du Pont Garden Volunteer meeting

March 2 at 11am (snow date March 3)

If you are anxious to get outside and want to volunteer in the E. I. du Pont garden, this meeting is for you!  Come meet Eileen Boyle, the gardener, learn more about the garden, and volunteering in the garden.  You’ll meet other volunteers interested in gardening or learning to garden.     RSVP only yes to 302-658-2400 ext. 257 or awilliamson@hagley.org

Special Guided Tours Return to Hagley for the Winter

Wilmington, Delaware – January 3 through March 2011  –  Hagley Museum  announces winter hours beginning in 2011.From January 4 to March 12, 2011, the museum’s winter hours will feature special guided tours at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. During these weekday tours, visitors will be escorted through the property by a guide who will interpret the 235-acre site including Eleutherian Mills, the du Pont ancestral home; the powder yard; and Workers’ Hill; The tour is included in the cost of admission, $11 adults, $9 students and senior citizens, $4 children six through to fourteen, free for children five and under and free for members.  On weekends, guided tours of Eleutherian Mills are offered every half hour; other parts of the property are self guided.

During the winter, visitors who wish to only walk on the site or peruse the exhibits in the Visitor Center at Hagley may do so for $5, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., on weekdays.

Bus service to the Belin House Organic Café will be from 11:30am to 2:30pm. This shuttle will continue to run a 15-minute circuit from the Visitors Center to the café.  

Winter events and programs include Hagley’s Invention Convention on January 15, 16, and 17; Victorine’s Valentine’s Day on February 13; and research seminars on February 17 and March 24. Also this winter, visit Hagley for only a dollar on Saturdays in February and March! For more information, visit www.hagley.org or call (302) 658-2400.

Hagley Museum and Library collects, preserves, and interprets the unfolding history of American enterprise. Hagley is located on Route 141 in Wilmington, Delaware. For more information, call (302) 658-2400 weekdays or visit www.hagley.org.

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Young Minds Explore Science and Technology at Hagley’s Invention Convention

Wilmington, Delaware – January 2011 – A family favorite returns to Hagley! Hagley’s Invention Convention will be Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, January 15, 16, and 17. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., youngsters will invent, explore, examine, experience, and get excited about science and engineering! Admission, including supplies, is $3.50 per child (4-14), $5 per adult, and free for Hagley members and children 3 and under. Use Hagley’s Buck Road East entrance off of Route 100.

Imagination and Ingenuity will soar at the Create-An-Invention workshop.  Kids can build an invention using familiar household items like cereal boxes, paper towel rolls, oatmeal containers, and more. The Hagley patent office will be present to give young inventors patents for the inventions they make in the Create-an-Invention workshop.

At the Tinkering Tables, children can safely take apart appliances, machines and other discarded things like computers, telephones, and radios. Kids and parents alike will find a job on the assembly line making powder at the Factory System Workshop. 

Science shows will be performed at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. with a different theme each day. Saturday will feature “Cool Chemistry” with Mike Stemniski, Sunday will be the DuPont Miracle Workerz Robotics team, and Monday will feature “Fun with Physics” with Jon-Eric Burgess.

“Invention Convention enables children to tap into their ingenuity by dismantling an array of machines and creating gadgets from basic everyday materials,” says Education Coordinator Jeff Durst.

            Invention Convention is sponsored, in part, by Goodwill of Delaware and Delaware County and EDiS Construction Managers, Inc.

Hagley Museum and Library collects, preserves, and interprets the unfolding history of American enterprise. Hagley is located on Route 141 in Wilmington, Delaware. For more information, call (302) 658-2400 weekdays or visit www.hagley.org

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Hagley Archivist Marge McNinch to Retire

After forty years of exemplary service, Marjorie McNinch, Hagley’s extraordinary Reference Archivist, is retiring.  It is often said that Marge delivers “the gold standard” of public services, and time and time again scholars have written to us celebrating her contribution to their success.  It is now time to honor her for the indelible imprint she leaves at Hagley. 

The newly established “McNinch Endowment Fund for Reference and Outreach” will be used to promote Hagley Library’s world-class collections and advance researchers’ access to those collections. 

Our goal is to raise $100,000 in order to generate annual resources of approximately $5,000 per year to fund a range of outreach projects ─ from subject guides, to finding aids, to web-based products, to History Day support, to summer internships that teach graduate students the fine art of reference work.  The possibilities are endless!

Checks may be made payable to Hagley Museum and Library with “McNinch Endowment Fund” noted in the memo line and send to my attention.  Or you may make a contribution through the website - www.hagley.org/library/mcninchfund.

Please help us honor Marge’s legacy as she begins a new chapter in her life. This endowment fund will honor her fine work, her commitment to scholarship, and her strong public service for years to come.

Your help will be greatly appreciated!

Henry du Pont and the Civil War

Those familiar with Civil War history are well aware of the DuPont Company’s crucial role in many Union successes throughout the conflict, primarily through its manufacture of gunpowder.  However, the lesser-told narratives come from within the rank and file of the company and family. Among these stories is that of DuPont Company President Henry du Pont (1812-1889), son of company founder E.I. du Pont, and his roles as Major-General and commander of the Delaware Home Guard.

More information at the Hagley Library and Archives blog: Henry du Pont and the Civil War
(by Andrew Engel)

Interesting article on a visit to Hagley

NJ Wild blog