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E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., Inc. Old Hickory plant panoramic photographs

Creation: 1918
 Collection
Accession: 1969-159

Abstract

The War Department of the United States Government contracted with the DuPont Company to build and run a smokeless powder plant called the Old Hickory plant on the Cumberland River near Nashville, Tennessee during World War I. These panoramic photographs show overall views of DuPont Company's Old Hickory smokeless powder plant, also views of exterior and interior details.

Dates

  • Creation: 1918

Creator

Extent

24 item(s)

General Physical Description

24 photographic prints : panoramic photographs ; 15 x 215 in. or smaller. 10 photographic prints : silver gelatin ; 12 x 20 in. or smaller.

Historical Note

E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company was established in 1802 by Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours (1739-1817) and his son Eleuthère Irénée du Pont (1771-1834). The du Pont’s purchased a mill site on the banks of the Brandywine River just North of Wilmington, Delaware. During wartime the company was a major supplier for the United States government. During peacetime, the company marketed their product towards sportsmen and hunters.

The War Department of the United States Government contracted with the DuPont Company to build and run a smokeless powder plant called the Old Hickory plant on the Cumberland River near Nashville, Tennessee during World War I. Construction was begun in March of 1918 and the first powder was produced by September of that year. Over 30,000 people were employed in the plant. It was the largest smokeless powder plant ever built in the United States. After the war, most of the plant was dismantled and the equipment sold off, although some was converted to other use. In 1924 Du Pont Fibersilk purchased the entire village and much of the land to build a plant to make artificial silk, also known as rayon.

John A. Dick (1879-1972), the first full-time photographer hired by the DuPont Company, documented the growth of the plant during World War I in these photographs.

Scope and Content

Overall views of DuPont Company's Old Hickory smokeless powder plant, also views of exterior and interior details, workers' village, school exterior, camp and mess unit, narrow gauge railroad with electric locomotive, and group portraits of guards.

Location

OO1-4, 5; DF Box 1002; Drawer A-25.

Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research.

Language of Materials

English

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title:
E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., Inc. Old Hickory plant panoramic photographs
Date:
2014
Description rules:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description:
English
Script of description:
Latin

Repository Details

Repository Details

Part of the Audiovisual Collections Repository

Contact:
PO Box 3630
Wilmington Delaware 19807 USA
302-658-2400