Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library
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The museum building
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 Location in Delaware
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| Location | Winterthur, Delaware, U.S. |
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| Nearest city | Wilmington, Delaware, U.S. |
| Area | 979 acres (396 ha) |
| NRHP reference No. | 71000233 |
| Added to NRHP | February 24, 1971 |
Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library is a special place in Winterthur, Delaware. It's a huge estate with a museum, beautiful gardens, and a library. Winterthur is famous for having one of the best collections of early American art and furniture. It was once the home of Henry Francis du Pont, who loved collecting old things and growing plants.
Contents
A Look Back at Winterthur's History
How the Estate Began
The land where Winterthur stands was first bought by Éleuthère Irénée du Pont (E. I. du Pont) between 1810 and 1818. It was used for farming and raising sheep. Later, in 1837, some of this land was sold to E. I. du Pont's business partner, Jacques Antoine Bidermann, and his wife, Evelina Gabrielle du Pont. They wanted to build their own estate there.
Between 1839 and 1842, the Bidermanns built a large 12-room house. They named their new home Winterthur, after Bidermann's family home in Winterthur, Switzerland. They also added big gardens and kept farm animals.
After Mr. Bidermann passed away, the property eventually went to Henry Algernon du Pont. He and his wife, Pauline, moved to Winterthur in 1876. They made the house even bigger. Henry Algernon also added more land, bringing the estate to over 900 acres. He even raised special Holstein cattle there.
Henry Francis du Pont's Vision
After his father's death, Henry Francis du Pont (H. F. du Pont) took over the estate in 1927. He and his wife, Ruth, made Winterthur much larger, tripling its size. H. F. du Pont was inspired to collect American antiques after visiting other collectors' homes.
He filled Winterthur with amazing pieces from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. He even used parts of old American homes, like wooden wall panels, to decorate the rooms. Each room had a special theme based on a different time period.
Winterthur Becomes a Museum
H. F. du Pont decided to open his home as a public museum in 1951. He wanted everyone to see his incredible collection of American decorative arts. He then moved to a smaller house on the estate.
By 1959, the museum grew to include a library and places for lectures. When H. F. du Pont passed away in 1969, he had collected between 50,000 and 70,000 objects! This included very rare silver pieces.
Today, the museum has several buildings. One large building, named after H. F.'s sister, Louise du Pont Crowninshield, holds the library and special facilities for taking care of old objects. There's also a visitor center and galleries for special exhibits.
Winterthur Today
Exploring the Museum
Winterthur is located in northwestern Delaware, not far from Wilmington. The museum and estate cover 979 acres, with 60 acres of beautiful natural gardens.
The museum has 175 rooms set up to look like different time periods. It holds about 90,000 objects. Most rooms can be seen on small, guided tours. The collection shows American decorative arts from 1640 to 1860. It includes some of the most important American furniture and art pieces.
In 2019, the TV show Antiques Roadshow even filmed some episodes at Winterthur!
The Winterthur Library
The Winterthur Library opened in 1952. It has over 87,000 rare books and more than 800,000 old papers and pictures. Anyone can visit the library by making an appointment.
The library's collection helps people research American history, art, architecture, and gardening. It includes old books, magazines, trade catalogs, and the personal papers of the du Pont family. H. F. du Pont started building this amazing collection to help people learn.
Beautiful Gardens and Grounds
H. F. du Pont loved gardening and started managing the estate's grounds in 1909. He worked with a landscape architect to design 70 acres of gardens. The estate also had greenhouses, an orchard, and vegetable gardens.
He continued to raise award-winning Holstein cattle on the farm. You can find at least six fun garden follies (decorative buildings) hidden throughout the grounds. From March to December, you can even take a tram ride through the gardens!
H. F. du Pont was inspired by gardener William Robinson, who suggested mixing many different plants in natural settings. The gardens are full of colorful rhododendrons, azaleas, peonies, and daffodils. There's also a special area with many types of evergreen trees like firs and spruces.
In 2002, Winterthur made sure that its land would always be protected. This means it can never be built on, keeping it beautiful for future generations.
Learning Programs
Winterthur works with the University of Delaware to offer special master's degree programs. These programs teach students about American history and how to take care of old art and objects. Many students from these programs become artists, museum curators, and scholars.
Winterthur also offers special research opportunities for people who want to study its collections.
The Winterthur Journal
Since 1964, Winterthur has published a journal called Winterthur Portfolio: A Journal of American Material Culture. This journal shares new research about American history and culture.
Places to See at Winterthur
- Main museum (where the period rooms and offices are)
- The Cottage (where H. F. du Pont lived after the museum opened)
- The Galleries (for special exhibits)
- Research Building (with the library and conservation facilities)
- Visitors Center
See also
In Spanish: Finca rural y museo Winterthur para niños
