Top of page

Photo, Print, Drawing A. I. du Pont Estate, Blue Ball Dairy Barn, Junction of U.S. Route 202 & Rockland Road, Wilmington, New Castle County, DE Nemours

View 20 images in sequence.
[ Photos from Survey HABS DE-283-A  ]

More Resources

[ Data Pages from Survey HABS DE-283-A  ]
[ Photo Captions from Survey HABS DE-283-A  ]

About this Item

Title

  • A. I. du Pont Estate, Blue Ball Dairy Barn, Junction of U.S. Route 202 & Rockland Road, Wilmington, New Castle County, DE

Other Title

  • Nemours

Names

  • Historic American Buildings Survey, creator
  • du Pont, Alfred I
  • Carrere and Hastings
  • Whittington, A E
  • Gooden, Harvey
  • Gooden, Ruthford
  • James M. Smyth and Son
  • Loudon Machinery Company
  • Hopkins, Alfred
  • Delaware Department of Transportation, sponsor
  • Kise Franks & Straw, Historic Preservation Group, contractor
  • Cleveland, M Todd, historian
  • Cremer, Jill, historian
  • O'Brien, Tim, photographer
  • Tucher, Rob, photographer
  • Christianson, Justine, transmitter
  • McPartland, Mary, transmitter

Created / Published

  • Documentation compiled after 1933

Headings

  • -  barns
  • -  dairying
  • -  corrugated metal siding
  • -  stalls
  • -  rubblework
  • -  stone buildings
  • -  stucco
  • -  porches
  • -  sliding doors
  • -  side gables
  • -  roofing slate
  • -  milk houses
  • -  Delaware--New Castle County--Wilmington

Latitude / Longitude

  • 39.782182,-75.555448

Notes

  • -  Significance: The Blue Ball Dairy Barn and Milk House were constructed in 1914 as part of the A.I. du Pont estate, known as Nemours. They were part of the estate farm complex, which existed to provide food and dairy products for estate consumption. The barn, milk house, and some sixteen other outbuildings were built to the side and rear of an existing farmhouse, which had originally been the Blue Ball Tavern. Constructed in the early nineteenth century or perhaps even the mid- to late-eighteenth century, the tavern had been converted to a farmhouse in the 1850s. From 1914 until the mid-1930s to early 1940s, the farm complex serviced the estate. In 1943, the farm was leased to Harvey and Ruthford Gooden, father and son dairy farmers, who paid rent to the estate but whose dairy produce was sold to outside parties. In 1977, Ruthford Gooden left the farm, shortly after which the farmhouse and most of the outbuildings were demolished. Only the barn and milk house remain In 1983, the property was sold to the current owner. It is no longer considered part of the Nemours estate. Due to the presence of the Blue Ball Tavern, the area has historically been known as Blue Ball. The name continued in use even after the Nemours estate was built, with Alfred I. du Pont's farm complex known by many as the Blue Ball Dairy. ... The Blue Ball Dairy barn and milk house are significant for three reasons. First, they stand as survivors of the American country house movement, especially in the stately homes type of architectural design practiced in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This type stresses adherence to the principles of the Ecole des Beaux Arts with an understanding of current advances in building technology. Its architects designed large, ostentatious estates for the wealthy elite of business and industry. These estates often included agricultural areas, which not only serviced the estate but also served to depict the owner as a member of the landed gentry, who was able to pursue the leisure activities of gentleman farming, horse and livestock breeding, and horticulture. Second, the barn and milk house serve as examples of the changes in agriculture, and specifically in dairying, that were sweeping through society in the early twentieth century. These changes dealt with cleanliness and milk production and had a great impact on the design of farm buildings. Third, the barn and milk house reflect the personality of Alfred I. du Pont, specifically his interests in du Pont family history, historical matters generally, and modern technology. While not preeminent examples, nevertheless the barn and milk house are fine representatives of their type and period.
  • -  Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: N2446
  • -  Survey number: HABS DE-283-A
  • -  Building/structure dates: 1914 Initial Construction
  • -  Building/structure dates: 1917-1926 Subsequent Work
  • -  Building/structure dates: ca. 1943 Subsequent Work
  • -  Building/structure dates: after. 1960- before. 1969 Subsequent Work

Medium

  • Photo(s): 20
  • Data Page(s): 35
  • Photo Caption Page(s): 6

Call Number/Physical Location

  • HABS DEL,2-WILM.V,9A-

Source Collection

  • Historic American Buildings Survey (Library of Congress)

Repository

Control Number

  • de0388

Rights Advisory

Online Format

  • image
  • pdf

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not license or charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot grant or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute the material.

Ultimately, it is the researcher's obligation to assess copyright or other use restrictions and obtain permission from third parties when necessary before publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the Library's collections.

For information about reproducing, publishing, and citing material from this collection, as well as access to the original items, see: Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record/Historic American Landscape Survey (HABS/HAER/HALS) Collection - Rights and Restrictions Information

  • Rights Advisory: No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted. https://aj.sunback.homes/rr/print/res/114_habs.html
  • Reproduction Number: ---
  • Call Number: HABS DEL,2-WILM.V,9A-
  • Access Advisory: ---

Obtaining Copies

If Digital Images Are Displaying

You can download online images yourself. Alternatively, you can purchase copies of various types through Library of Congress Duplication Services.

HABS/HAER/HALS materials have generally been scanned at high resolution that is suitable for most publication purposes (see Digitizing the Collection for further details about the digital images).

  • Photographs--All photographs are printed from digital files to preserve the fragile originals.
    • Make note of the Call Number and Item Number that appear under the photograph in the multiple-image display (e.g., HAER, NY,52-BRIG,4-2).
    • If possible, include a printout of the photograph.
  • Drawings--All drawings are printed from digital files to preserve the fragile originals.
    • Make note of the Survey Number (e.g., HAER NY - 143) and Sheet Number (e.g., "Sheet 1 of 4"), which appear on the edge of the drawing. (NOTE: These numbers are visible in the Tiff "Reference Image" display.)
    • If possible, include a printout of the drawing.
  • Data Pages
    • Make note of the Call Number in the catalog record.

If Digital Images Are Not Displaying

In the rare case that a digital image for HABS/HAER/HALS documentation is not displaying online, select images for reproduction through one of these methods:

  • Visit the Prints & Photographs Reading Room and request to view the group (general information about service in the reading room is available at: https://aj.sunback.homes/rr/print/info/001_ref.html). It is best to contact reference staff in advance (see: https://aj.sunback.homes/rr/print/address.html) to make sure the material is on site. OR
  • P&P reading room staff can provide up to 15 quick copies of items per calendar year (many original items in the holdings are too old or fragile to make such copies, but generally HABS/HAER/HALS materials are in good enough condition to be placed on photocopy machines). For assistance, see our Ask a Librarian page OR
  • Hire a freelance researcher to do further selection for you (a list of researchers in available at: https://aj.sunback.homes/rr/print/resource/013_pic.html).
  • You can purchase copies of various types, including quick copies, through Library of Congress Duplication Services (price lists, contact information, and order forms for Library of Congress Duplication Services are available on the Duplication Services Web site):
    • Make note of the Call Number listed above.
    • Look at the Medium field above. If it lists more than one item:
      • The entire group can be ordered as photocopies or high-quality copies.
      • All the items in a particular medium (e.g., all drawings, all photographs) can be ordered as photocopies or high-quality copies.

Access to Originals

Please use the following steps to determine whether you need to fill out a call slip in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room to view the original item(s). In some cases, a surrogate (substitute image) is available, often in the form of a digital image, a copy print, or microfilm.

  1. Is the item digitized? (A thumbnail (small) image will be visible on the left.)

    • Yes, the item is digitized. Please use the digital image in preference to requesting the original. All images can be viewed at a large size when you are in any reading room at the Library of Congress. In some cases, only thumbnail (small) images are available when you are outside the Library of Congress because the item is rights restricted or has not been evaluated for rights restrictions.
      As a preservation measure, we generally do not serve an original item when a digital image is available. If you have a compelling reason to see the original, consult with a reference librarian. (Sometimes, the original is simply too fragile to serve. For example, glass and film photographic negatives are particularly subject to damage. They are also easier to see online where they are presented as positive images.)
    • No, the item is not digitized. Please go to #2.

  2. Do the Access Advisory or Call Number fields above indicate that a non-digital surrogate exists, such as microfilm or copy prints?

    • Yes, another surrogate exists. Reference staff can direct you to this surrogate.
    • No, another surrogate does not exist. Please go to #3.
  3. If you do not see a thumbnail image or a reference to another surrogate, please fill out a call slip in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room. In many cases, the originals can be served in a few minutes. Other materials require appointments for later the same day or in the future. Reference staff can advise you in both how to fill out a call slip and when the item can be served.

To contact Reference staff in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room, please use our Ask A Librarian service or call the reading room between 8:30 and 5:00 at 202-707-6394, and Press 3.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Historic American Buildings Survey, Creator, Alfred I Du Pont, Carrere And Hastings, A E Whittington, Harvey Gooden, Ruthford Gooden, James M. Smyth And Son, et al., O'Brien, Tim, and Rob Tucher, photographer. A. I. du Pont Estate, Blue Ball Dairy Barn, Junction of U.S. Route 202 & Rockland Road, Wilmington, New Castle County, DE. New Castle County Wilmington Delaware, 1933. translateds by Christianson, Justinemitter, and Mcpartland, Marymitter Documentation Compiled After. Photograph. https://aj.sunback.homes/item/de0388/.

APA citation style:

Historic American Buildings Survey, C., Du Pont, A. I., Carrere And Hastings, Whittington, A. E., Gooden, H., Gooden, R. [...] Cremer, J., O'Brien, T. & Tucher, R., photographer. (1933) A. I. du Pont Estate, Blue Ball Dairy Barn, Junction of U.S. Route 202 & Rockland Road, Wilmington, New Castle County, DE. New Castle County Wilmington Delaware, 1933. Christianson, J. & McPartland, M., transs Documentation Compiled After. [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://aj.sunback.homes/item/de0388/.

MLA citation style:

Historic American Buildings Survey, Creator, et al., photographers by O'Brien, Tim, and Rob Tucher. A. I. du Pont Estate, Blue Ball Dairy Barn, Junction of U.S. Route 202 & Rockland Road, Wilmington, New Castle County, DE. trans by Christianson, Justinemitter, and Mcpartland, Marymitter Documentation Compiled After. Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <aj.sunback.homes/item/de0388/>.