Brandywine Valley oral history interviewees' photographs
About this collection
The Oral histories on work and daily life in the Brandywine Valley (Accession 1970.370) collection contains oral history interviews conducted by Hagley staff between 1954 and 1990 with individuals who had worked at the DuPont Company powder yards on Brandywine Creek during the yards’ final decades of operation, or who had lived near the yards as spouses or children of DuPont Company workers. Click here to visit the digital collection for these recordings and transcripts.Some of the interviewees donated, lent for copying, or provided information about photographs depicting the workers' communities and powder yards. These photographs now form the Brandywine Valley oral history interviewees' photographs (Accession 2017.255) collection.Image: DuPont Co. workers enjoying a drink near the Club House at Thompson's Bridge. Click to view.
Gentieu caption: "Factory where wood kegs are made. Man in center (Gailey Mathewson) has worked here for 50 years and is 77 years old and has only one lung, but seems good for many years yet." The following provided by F.L. Mathewson, grandson of Gilbert Mathewson, in 1966: Main Cooper Shop is building at far right, soaking pits were to right, off picture. Had slate roof and slate shingle siding. Pancake Run is in foreground, flowing under bridge to left. Left to right: Harry Carter (?); Gilbert Mathewson, boss of cooper shop; Frank Applegate; William Roe [Rowe?].
View of several houses and yards damaged in explosion. Bell tower visible in background, field of cabbages or cauliflower in foreground. Typed caption: "Information supplied by Mr. Daniel Shields. Upper Yard--Residences (double houses) reading from right to left: Samuel Grogran, Tom Callahan, James Ward, Mary Dougherty. Building with tower known as Bell House, basement used in winter to split chestnut fence and rail posts for farm property. Willow for charcoal house stored in Bell House. Charcoal house to left of Bell House. Eleutherian Mills Barn in background. Vegetable garden (cauliflower) in foreground."
On left bank, Long Row houses, Christ Church spire, the "New" Machine Shop, and Henry Clay Keg Mill are visible. Walker's Banks houses visible on right bank of river.
New Bridge' Rising Sun Lane covered bridge at left. Houses on Creek Road (Main Street) in Henry Clay Village visible at right. Rockford Water Tower in background.
Charles I. du Pont residence at far left, followed by Pigeon Hole Row and Long Row housing. Henry Clay keg mill in Hagley Yard visible upstream. Spire of Christ Church visible in distance at center-left.
Identification by Edward L. Bader: Back row left to right: E.M. Taylor (Shop Superintendent), Ed Bader, and Fred Ivins. Front row left to right: William Waterbury, Duncan Thatcher.
The following people are identified: Ed Bader, machinist; Frank Haley, clerk; Tom Tulley, clerk; John Dougherty, clerk; Will Beatty, pattern maker; Seitz, foreman of woodwork shop; Bob Millin, tinsmith.
Front Row: Man with crutch - Pierre Gentieu, Next to him - Alfred I. du Pont (on Gentieu's left), Man kneeling on front row in straw hat - Mike Maloney (blacksmith). Last row, fourteenth from right, lower deck: Mr. Hoover (standing).
Seated are Joseph Maxwell (1833-1911) and Mary Ellen Warrick Maxwell (1838?-1912). The young women standing behind them are presumably the Maxwells' granddaughters, Mary Esther Campbell and Martha Ellen Campbell.
The following people are identified on a tracing paper overlay: Alfred I. du Pont, Ernest du Pont, two unnamed drivers, Lynch (plumber), Joe Haley, John Andrews who "ran off with barn burning detectives who were pretending to be religious group," Mike Mahony's dad, Thomas Knox (Bader's brother-in-law burned in explosion of 1898), "old foreman," Dorman who "worked in packing house," Albert "Yabba" Buchanan who "ran ? plant with trains," and the Rowe brothers (cooper and painter). See tracing paper overlay for locations in photograph.
From left (identification by donor): Mike Maloney, Peter Pursue, Sam Ferraro (seated, hand on walking stick), Victor Sauspin (thin face, large black hat, back of Ferraro), Harry Broden (derby, rear, right of Alfred I. du Pont), Felix Flanigan (behind Alfred I. du Pont), Tom Leach (next to Felix Flanigan), Pat Welsh (next to Leach), James Marten (right, front, straw hat, folded hands), Don Shields (left of Marten, white mustache, derby), Benny Watson (next to Shields), Gene Marten (second from right), Philip Dougherty (far right), Harry Muller (seated, far right), William Horty (next to Muller), and Alfred I. du Pont (center with knickers).
Taken in Breck's Mill Electric Shop. Left to right: William Hearn, Michael Maloney, George Gentieu, Alfred (Charles) Maxwell, James Casey (Pat's Son), Walker Mathewson, and Alfred Mathewson.