|Greenville Spotlight|
Greenville: A suburb with some flair By Gene Pisasale Contributing Writer
E. I. du Pont, founder of the Du Pont Company.
Hagley gunpowder works, courtesy of the Hagley Museum and Library.
St. Joseph on the Brandywine Church 52
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reenville, Delaware has long been considered a sleepy, less noticed suburb of Wilmington. Yet it is so much more, not just for places within its borders, but sites nearby which have regional and national importance. It is only 2.74 square miles, but Greenville has had an oversized impact on our culture and politics. Besides being the home of President Joe Biden, people who changed our country and the world have lived here, including Pierre Samuel du Pont, as well as notable descendants Alfred I. du Pont and Pierre S. “Pete” du Pont. Driving toward Wilmington on Route 52 from southeastern Pennsylvania, you quickly see the verdant rolling hills of what has come to be called “du Pont country.” The area got its nickname for good reason—hundreds of those in the family lineage have resided here for generations. Sweeping green fields adjoining rustic country estates is the rule, for many the byproduct of successful careers with Du Pont. The origins of Du Pont are in France, where the namesake of the family, Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours (1739- 1817) was an esteemed writer
Greenville & Hockessin Life | Winter 2021 | www.ghlifemagazine.com
on economics, inspector general of commerce under King Louis XVI and later helped negotiate the Treaty of 1783 which ended the Revolutionary War. His son E. I. du Pont studied chemistry under French scientist Antoine Lavoisier. He later came to America and bought land outside Wilmington along the Brandywine Creek in northern Delaware, the site for a major gunpowder operation. E. I. du Pont later met with Thomas Jefferson, who applauded his pursuit of the powder business which would help support the American army. The Du Pont company would later be one of the most dominant gunpowder producers in the country and the largest supplier to the U.S. military, providing nearly 40 percent of the powder used by the Union Army during the Civil War. The firm subsequently expanded its operations to include a wide variety of chemicals and materials and became one of the most innovative and successful chemical companies in the world. People coming into the region recognize the A. I. du Pont Middle School, one of the highest rated in the region. Pierre Samuel “Pete” du Pont served as the U.S. Representative in Congress from 1971 to 1977 and Governor of Delaware from 1977 to 1985; he
