Louise Evelina du Pont Crowninshield (August 3, 1877 – July 11, 1958) was an American heiress, historic preservationist, and philanthropist. She was the great-granddaughter of

Éleuthère Irénée du Pont Éleuthère Irénée du Pont de Nemours (; ; 24 June 1771 – 31 October 1834) was a French-American chemist and industrialist who founded the gunpowder manufacturer E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. His descendants, the du Pont family, hav ...

, founder of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. Her estate at Eleutherian Mills near

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington (Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina ...

became the Hagley Museum and Library in 1957.

Life and career

Louise du Pont was born on the Winterthur Estate to parents Henry Algernon du Pont and Mary Pauline Foster. She and her younger brother,

Henry Francis du Pont Henry Francis du Pont (May 27, 1880 – April 11, 1969) was an American horticulturist, collector of early American furniture and decorative arts, breeder of Holstein Friesian cattle, and scion of the powerful du Pont family. Converted into ...

, were their parents' only children who survived past infancy and therefore became the heirs to the du Pont fortune. A socialite who mingled in elite society in New York and Washington, DC, Louise du Pont married

Boston Brahmin The Boston Brahmins or Boston elite are members of Boston's traditional upper class. They are often associated with Harvard University; Anglicanism; and traditional Anglo-American customs and clothing. Descendants of the earliest English coloni ...

and professional yachtsman Francis Boardman Crowninshield in June 28, 1900. The couple split their time between

Marblehead, Massachusetts Marblehead is a coastal New England town in Essex County, Massachusetts, along the North Shore. Its population was 20,441 at the 2020 census. The town lies on a small peninsula that extends into the northern part of Massachusetts Bay. Attache ...

;

Boca Grande, Florida Boca Grande is a small residential community on Gasparilla Island in southwest Florida. Gasparilla Island is a part of both Charlotte and Lee counties, while the actual village of Boca Grande, which is home to many seasonal and some year-roun ...

; and Eleutherian Mills near

. Passionate about historic preservation, Louise du Pont Crowninshield restored the du Pont family house at Eleutherian Mills, collected antiques and decorative arts, and planted gardens. She belonged to numerous historical societies and horticultural organizations. During the Truman administration, she served on the committee to redecorate the White House. She helped to restore and furnish the

Dutch House Electro house is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by heavy bass and a tempo around 130 beats per minute. The term has been used to describe the music of many ''DJ Mag'' Top 100 DJs, including Benny Benassi, Skrillex, Steve Aoki ...

and George Washington's birthplace at Wakefield House with period objects. She was a co-founder of the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1949 and served as vice chair of the board in 1953. In the early 1950s, she was president of the National Council for Historic Sites and Buildings during its merger with the National Trust. In recognition of her services to historic preservation, the National Trust instituted an annual award, the Louise Evelina du Pont Crowninshield Award. This award is the National Trust's highest national honor and is awarded only to those who have proven "superlative achievement over time in the preservation and interpretation of our cultural, architectural or maritime heritage."

Personal life and death

Louise Crowninshield died on July 11, 1958 in Wilmington, Delaware. She was buried at Du Pont de Nemours Cemetery in

New Castle County, Delaware New Castle County is the northernmost of the three counties of the U.S. state of Delaware (New Castle, Kent, and Sussex). As of the 2020 census, the population was 570,719, making it the most populous county in Delaware, with nearly 60% of th ...

. Her husband, Francis Crowninshield, had died in 1950, and the couple had no children. She was survived by her brother, Henry Francis du Pont, and by several nieces and nephews.

Archival materials

Archival materials relating to Crowninshield are held in the permanent collections of the Hagley Museum and Library and the

Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library is an American estate and museum in Winterthur, Delaware. Pronounced “winter-tour," Winterthur houses one of the richest collections of Americana in the United States. The museum and estate were the home o ...

References

External links

Finding aid to the Louise E. du Pont Crowninshield papers
via the Hagley Museum and Library {{DEFAULTSORT:Crowninshield, Louise Evelina du Pont 1877 births 1958 deaths Crowninshield family Du Pont family Historical preservationists People from New Castle County, Delaware American women philanthropists 20th-century American philanthropists Philanthropists from Delaware Burials at Du Pont de Nemours Cemetery People associated with Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library 20th-century women philanthropists