The former duPont family estate and gardens near Kennett Square, PA confirmed it entered into an agreement to purchase and operate Granogue, the 505-acre estate and long-time residence of Irénée du Pont, Jr.
The Longwood website posted a link to The News Journal story reporting the pending sale.
Irénée duPont passed away last month at 103 and continued to live on the sprawling estate. DuPont lived a long and active life and made a point of discussing the history of the family that immigrated from France and built a vast fortune that started with a modest gunpowder mill on the banks of the Brandywine and ended up for a time becoming one of America’s most powerful corporations.
Terms of the sale were not disclosed. Talks aimed at preserving the property had gone on for years with the goal of preserving farmland. There are no immediate plans to open the mansion to visitors.
The agreement saves the hilltop mansion and the more than 500 acres from becoming a subdivision or mini-estates in what is known as Chateau Country, an area on the northern edge of Delaware that extends into Pennsylvania.
Among the properties is Longwood Gardens, the creation of Pierre S. DuPont, who designed world-renowned gardens and fountains. Henry duPont’s passion for American design led to Winterthur, a museum, garden and library west of Greenville.
Family member holdings included the Delaware Park thoroughbred track, aviation service companies, and the News Journal, which some claim to this day was used for a time to keep family members and the company out of the news.
Along the way, duPont family members and associates acquired vast land holdings. The family fortune came from not only from DuPont Co. but also General Motors, with the government ordering its sale for antitrust reasons. The growing number of duPont heirs divided up the vast fortune with few duPonts now in the ranks of the superrich.
