Imagine Downton Abby -
only call it Nemours Mansion.
The setting:
Wilmington, Delaware USA
The family:
The du Ponts
The same time period.
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| Nemours Mansion and Garden, Wilmington, Delaware |
Alfred I. du Pont, born in 1864 to
Eleuthere Irenee Du Pont and Charlotte Shepard (Henderson),
was orphaned at age 13.
He became a talented and generous man.
 |
| Nemours Mansion and Garden, Wilmington, Delaware |
Wife 1: Bessie - Charming and Irreverent
He also has quite a story -
one that would make a good TV series:
He married a cousin,
had four children,
divorced in 1906.
 |
| Nemours Garden, Wilmington, Delaware |
He went into the family business,
was ousted by his cousins,
almost went bankrupt,
moved to Florida and
re -established himself.
 |
| The Entrance to Nemours Mansion, Wilmington, Delaware |
Wife 2: Alicia - Proud and Beautiful
He married another cousin, a divorcee -
whom he adored
but she felt more of a friendship than love.
 |
| Elegance at Nemours Mansion, Wilmington, Delaware |
He built her a 77 room mansion on 30 acres -
Still there was no love.
He installed formal gardens for her to enjoy -
Still there was no love.
He adopted her daughter -
Still there was no love.
Then the love of his life died.
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| Table Setting, Nemours Mansion, Wilmington, Delaware |
Wife 3: Jessie - Tender and Loving
He married another time
to a woman 20 years his junior.
He went on to make millions of dollars.
He used his own money to establish a
pension for older people in the state of Delaware.
He helped revitalize the state of Florida
after the 1926 hurricane
and stock market crash of 1929.
He established a hospital for children -
Nemours/Alfred I. du Pont Hospital for Children.
The bulk of his fortune,
worth 4.5 billion in 2006,
was left to sustain
the Nemours Foundation
which supports his legacy of philanthropic work -
mostly children's health.
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| A Room for Everything Including the Telephone, Nemours Mansion, Wilmington, Delaware |
Now that is a man and a legacy.
 |
| "The Poor Man's Friend" Alfred I. du Pont |
Here is a video clip about his life:
Here are more photos from my trip to
5 comments:
Wow! I haven't been there since I was a kid!
this is so cool, i read every single word. i love how you gave so much info but in short and easy to read sentences. the gardens and house and rooms look very much like our Ca ta Zan home that Ringling built here... my favorite shot of all these beautiful photos is looking up at the chandelier... LOVE IT...
What a great story! And I love your photos!
WoW! Never heard of this place, but it is stunning!
http://travelingbugwiththreeboys-kelleyn.blogspot.com/2016/06/orange-beach-alabama.html
wow. I didn't know! What a lot of fabulous drama, and he sounds like a good man. Also, I really loved Downton Abbey. They should do another series based on this.
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