This past cool, rainy, cloudy, Saturday, June 20th, about 30 sisters from the LDS Relief Society Smyrna Ward carpooled up to Wilmington to see Nemours Mansion & Gardens. We first stopped at the visitors center where we viewed a film about the life of Alfred Irenee duPont. Also a wonderful timeline of history including his families births and deaths was stationed along the glass walls which allowed the viewer to enjoy the natural surrounding woodlands. We were wisked away by a tour bus to the estate. Inside the three floors of the estate were so many beautiful and exquisite art works, antiquities, and amazing views of the property. You really see what it was like to live on a grand scale at the beginning of the 20th century, including the estate's billiard room and bowling alley, and necessities like the ice-making and bottling rooms. The tour took about 2 hours and also included a bus tour of the amazing 300 acres of formal landscaped gardens, and 800,000 gallon reflecting pool and fountain.
Nemours, the former 300 acre estate of Alfred I. du Pont, is named after the du Pont ancestral home in north central France.The Mansion is an excellent example of modified Louis XVI French château. It was designed by Carrere and Hastings of New York City and was built between 1909 and 1910 by Smyth and Son of Wilmington, Delaware. The mansion has 102 rooms and is furnished, as you would expect, with fine period antiques, rare oriental rugs, tapestries and paintings dating back as far as the 15th century.The gardens, their design influenced by Mr. duPont's many trips to Europe, are beautifully landscaped and include a working carillon tower, natural woodlands and extensive formal French gardens.
After the amazing day of culture, we gathered our troops and headed back to our church. We had a nice light luncheon complete with salad, sandwiches, and fruit. It was a day of fellowship and friendship that I will cherish.
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