Wednesday, June 1, 2016

What He Did for Love

Imagine Downton Abby - 
only call it Nemours Mansion. 

The setting:
Wilmington, Delaware USA

 The family:
The du Ponts 

The same time period. 

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. 


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. 

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:

Tamar SB said...

Wow! I haven't been there since I was a kid!

MadSnapper said...

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...

Teresa said...

What a great story! And I love your photos!

likeschocolate said...

WoW! Never heard of this place, but it is stunning!
http://travelingbugwiththreeboys-kelleyn.blogspot.com/2016/06/orange-beach-alabama.html

Kerry said...

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.