About this collection

In 1816, Éleuthère Irénée du Pont (1771-1834) financially supported the construction of the Brandywine Manufacturers Sunday School on his property. In 1817, the school began offering the children of local workers non-sectarian instruction in reading, writing, arithmetic, and religion.

In 1823, the school became affiliated with the American Sunday School Union. The development of a public school system in 1829 resulted in gradual changes to the school; classes continued but were restricted to religious subjects. After the completion of Christ Church in 1856, the school became an Episcopal church school.

The Brandywine Manufacturers Sunday School (BMSS) records (Accession 0389) are records primarily generated and maintained by the du Pont women; they include the school's constitution, financial records, student records, lesson notebooks, and correspondence. This collection has not been digitized in its entirety.

Image: Brandywine Manufacturers' Sunday School, undated. Click to view in the DuPont Company Brandywine powder yards and neighboring worker communities' photographs collection.