Although Winterthur lacked great historic architecture, du Pont purchased important American interiors and installed them, room by room, within a sprawling addition to the mansion. He then filled these rooms with his burgeoning collection of American decorative arts objects and antiques. Finally, like the English country lord, he exalted in establishing a superlative library. H. F. inherited Winterthur in 1926 and by 1929 was tripling the size of the mansion to accommodate his growing reserve of Americana. By the 1930s he was considering its eventual transformation to a public institution — something he accomplished in 1951, in his words, "to help show modern Americans how earlier Americans had lived."

With the cultural components in place, du Pont then turned his attention to the estate's farming operations. More than 250 workers attended to the gardens, livestock, and, of course, the star operation — the Winterthur dairy farm. Although du Pont created what many consider the finest dairy herd in America, he knew that Winterthur's agricultural enterprises could not be sustained after his death. In accordance with his will, therefore, the herds were sold in 1969.

The garden was opened with the museum in 1951, the library in 1952. The graduate programs were founded in 1952 (Early American Culture) and 1974 (Art Conservation), both in partnership with the University of Delaware. In 1986, Winterthur's Trustees began fundraising for a new building, The Galleries, a two-story exhibit space for permanent collections and changing exhibitions. Upon opening The Galleries in 1992, Winterthur's then director, Dwight Lanmon, reiterated H. F. du Pont's fundamental commitment to education when he exclaimed: " … the educational potential of our new building excites me, especially the chance to reach larger, more diverse audiences. In The Galleries, we can now serve many groups — kindergartners, seniors, collectors, families … and more — in ways our resources never before allowed." On the occasion of Winterthur's 50th Anniversary, current director Leslie Greene Bowman began restoring Winterthur's original identity as a country estate.

Winterthur was the fulfillment of du Pont's dream:
My idea of Winterthur is that it is a country estate Museum, to show the Americans of the future what a country place and farm were like. I consider this investment in a way will give quite as much pleasure to many, as the Museum has.

The Winterthur staff remains committed to sharing this vision and du Pont's great legacy with the more than 170,000 people who visit each year.

Back to Estate or for more information, visit the Winterthur Website.