About this collection

E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company is a chemical company more commonly referred to as the DuPont company. The company, which initially manufactured gunpowder, was established in 1802 by Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours (1739-1817) and his son Eleuthère Irénée du Pont (1771-1834). The E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Company photographs (Accession 1993.256) collection consists of photographs that document two separate activities.

The first grouping shows an outdoor safety demonstration of Nyalite, a new explosive developed at the DuPont Experimental Station. This demonstration was probably conducted in the Hagley powder yards. Nyalite, an nitrostarch explosive compound developed in 1905, was designed for use in coal mines, and was marketed as a safer alternative to other mining explosives. The second group documents the pulp keg mill near Squirrel Run which, after the powder yards closed, was used for record storage by the DuPont Company. Photographs show exterior and interior views.

Image: Nyalite safety demonstration, D.A. MacDonald, 1905. Click here to view this item in the collection.