Page 232 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - USA

230  W ASHINGT ON , DC & THE C APIT AL REGION

Delaware l Hagley Museum/

Although Delaware is the country’s second-smallest state, Eleutherian Mills
larger only than tiny Rhode Island, its importance in industry, Rte 141. @ Tel (302) 658-2400.
banking, and technology far exceeds its size. This is mainly Open 10am–4:30pm daily; Jan–mid-
Mar: 1:30pm (for one tour only) Mon–
due to the laissez-faire tax and corporation laws that have Fri; 9:30am–4:30pm Sat & Sun.
attracted several large companies, who now base their head- Closed Thanksgiving, Dec 25. & 8
quarters here. Along with a significant history, stately country ∑ hagley.org
homes, and some of the nation’s best museums, Delaware’s
2,000 square miles (500,000 ha) also boasts more than Picturesquely located on the
20 miles (32 km) of sandy beaches along the Atlantic Ocean. banks of the Brandywine River,
Hagley Yard is the origin of
the du Pont fortune in America.
Its serene setting is visible in
spring when the river banks are
ablaze with purple and pink
rhododendrons and azaleas.
Eleuthere du Pont acquired
the property and established a
black powder (explosives)
factory here in 1884. Factory
buildings, storehouses, drying
tables, and the workers’ village
are open to the public. Facing
the river are the Eagle Roll Mill’s
“mixing rooms,” with their 5-ft
Detail from Washington Crossing the Delaware, Delaware Art Museum (1.5-m) thick walls, where
powder explosions – there have
j Wilmington k Winterthur been 299 blowouts in 20 years –
did the least damage. Hagley
* 71,500. @ n 100 W 10th St, SR 52. Tel (800) 448-3883.
(800) 489-6664. Open 10am–5pm Tue–Sun. Museum, at the entryway to
∑ visitwilmingtonde.com Closed Thanksgiving, Dec 25. & 8 the property, explores the
∑ winterthur.org history of the sites with exhibits
This former Swedish colony is and dioramas.
home to one of the country’s Originally the home of Evelina The modest du Pont family
finest art museums, the du Pont and James Biderman, home, Eleutherian Mills, dates
Delaware Art Museum. Its Winterthur was named after from 1803. It overlooks the
outstanding collections contain the Biderman ancestral home powder works at the far end of
works by American illustrators in Switzerland. Henry Francis the property and contains many
such as Howard Pyle, and his du Pont inherited the house original furnishings. The garden
students N.C. Wyeth and in 1927. Du Pont was one of is verdant with a variety of
Maxfield Parrish. There are also the many post-World War I native plants, shrubs, and trees.
paintings and sculpture by collectors, whose nationalistic
other 19th- and 20th-century sentiments caused them to
American artists such as take a fresh look at American
Winslow Homer. The galleries decorative objects. His
feature paintings and decorative collection of American furniture
arts from the English pre- is one of the most important
Raphaelite movement, led by assemblages of early American
Dante Gabriel Rossetti. The decorative arts in the world.
romantic works, second only Winterthur showcases the du
to those of London’s Victoria Pont family’s fascination with
and Albert Museum in the UK, American decorative arts and
were bequeathed to the horticulture. The surrounding
museum in 1935 by the wealthy 982-acre (397-ha) grounds are
Wilmington industrialist Samuel landscaped beautifully, with
Bancroft Jr. miles of surfaced paths and
scenic woodland trails.
E Delaware Art Museum The part of the museum
2301 Kentmere Parkway. Tel (302) open to the public consists
571-9590. Open 10am– 4pm Wed– of two buildings, 175 period
Sat, noon–4pm Sun. & 7 rooms, and two floors of Boxcar exhibit at Hagley, on the banks of
∑ delart.org exhibition galleries. the Brandywine River
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp234–6 and pp237–9

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Eyewitness Travel LAYERS PRINTED:
Catalogue template “UK” LAYER
(Source v2.6)
Date 12th July 2013
Size 125mm x 217mm