In 1802, Éleuthère Irénée du Pont
established a gunpowder mill on the banks of the Brandywine River near Wilmington, Delaware. The location, named Eleutherian Mills, provided all the necessities to operate the mill: a water flow sufficient to power it, available timber (mainly willow trees) that could be turned into charcoal fine enough to use for gunpowder, and close proximity to the Delaware River to allow for shipments of sulfur and saltpeter, the other ingredients used in the manufacture of gunpowder. There were also nearby stone quarries to provide needed building materials.[6]
Over time,
the Du Pont company grew into the largest black powder manufacturing firm in the world. The family remained in control of the company up to the 1960s,[7] and family trusts still own a substantial amount of the company's stock. This and other
companies run by the du Pont family employed up to 10 percent of Delaware's population at its peak.[8] In the 19th century, the Du Pont family maintained their family wealth by carefully arranged marriages between cousins[9] which, at the time, was the norm for many families.
The family played a large part in politics during the 18th and 19th centuries and assisted in negotiations for the T
reaty of Paris and the
Louisiana Purchase. Both T. Coleman and Henry A. du Pont served as U.S. senators. Pierre S. du Pont, IV served as Governor of Delaware.