Hagley Museum and Library celebrates 10Best honor with new Summer Kick-off Celebration
There are more than 35,000 museums in the United States — that’s more museums than all McDonald’s and Starbucks locations combined. So where does one start when looking for a unique museum experience that offers a little something for everyone — while also passing the “Is This Worth Loading the Kids in the Car” test?
There’s the ever-growing list of travel review websites, countless blogs, and online searches for “Things to Do Near Me.” But it can be particularly helpful when experts and the public at large weigh in with their top choices for one-of-a-kind museum experiences.
In February, Hagley Museum and Library , off Delaware Route 141 in Greenville, was named one of America’s “10Best Open-Air Museums” by voters in a nationwide USA Today poll. Hagley was the only museum from Delaware — in fact, the only museum from mid-Atlantic region — to make it onto the list that included heavy-hitters like Colonial Williamsburg.
But what, you might be wondering, is an open-air museum?
10Best winner:This Delaware attraction is a winner of the 2024 USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards
As USA Today puts it: “Open-air museums are a fantastic way to experience history and culture in a natural setting. [The Top Ten] museums — selected by an expert panel and voted by readers as the best in the country — offer visitors the opportunity to see how people lived, worked and played in different times, featuring historic buildings, artifacts and activities that help recreate the past.”
This definition perfectly sums up much of what Hagley is and what we do.
Along a picturesque mile of the Brandywine River, Hagley preserves and interprets the water-powered manufactory where the DuPont company made black powder — gunpower and blasting powder — from 1802 to 1921. DuPont black powder had a range of applications in agriculture, construction, hunting and the military. And it was part of pivotal moments in American history including the creation of the Erie Canal, loading the rifles and artillery of Union forces in the Civil War, and the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad.
Today, through demonstrations, tours, school programs and family events, Hagley brings this past to life in an incomparable natural setting. An 1870s machine shop; 16-ton metal roll wheels in a powder mill, and a restored wooden waterwheel all still run on a water-power system developed more than two centuries ago.
For decades, Workers’ Hill, a partially restored workers’ community, has provided an immersive environment for younger visitors to learn about daily life in the 19th century. On school field trips, as campers in the summer, and visiting with their families, more than 15,000 young people make tangible connections with the past on Workers’ Hill and throughout the museum’s 235 acres.
The first du Pont estate built in America, Hagley also is home to gardens including the E. I. du Pont heritage garden and orchard, the community garden on Workers’ Hill, the 1930s Italianate ruin style “Crowninshield Garden,” and a recently planted pollinator garden.
Longwood in bloom:Longwood Garden's Spring Blooms features tulips, magnolias, cherry trees through May 5
The story of du Pont gardens began at Hagley in the 19th century and is a core part of what makes this open-air museum a “10Best” experience now.
For locals who just need a break from the hustle and bustle of their busy lives, there is Summer Nights at Hagley. On Wednesday evenings in June, July, and August, the grounds of Hagley Museum are open for walking, biking and picnicking with live music, lawn games and food trucks in an environment that is family-friendly (including dogs!) as it is historically significant and naturally beautiful.
A new event this year is the Summer Kick-off Celebration on Saturday, May 25. The event marks the “unofficial start of summer” on Memorial Day weekend with a full slate of history and science programs, behind-the-scenes tours, cannon firings, community partners and more.
It’s a sampling of all that Hagley offers — with something for everyone. To top it off, admission is free for all children aged 14 and younger during the Summer Kick-off.
Whether you’re reconnecting with Hagley or experiencing the museum for the first time, come see us along “the Brandywine’s most beautiful mile.” Visit during normal operating hours to see the water-powered machinery in the powder yards in action, get a glimpse of life in the 19th century, and stroll the gardens that launched the du Pont garden tradition.
Mark your calendar for the Summer Kick-off on May 25 and unplug and reconnect with family and friends at Summer Nights at Hagley. You’ll see for yourself why Hagley is one of the country’s 10Best Open-Air Museums.
Mike Adams is director of museum and audience engagement at Hagley Museum and Library.