They are big in the state of Delaware.............................esp near Wilmington in the north.......................esp has a lot of industry..............Delaware in general has lax laws for corporations...........taxes are lower........many businesses are there for that reason..........................

The Du Pont family[edit]

After some renovations in the later 19th century (c. 1855 and c. 1880), the house was acquired in 1901 by William and Annie Rogers du Pont, of the Du Pont family. A horse enthusiast, William du Pont built barns, stables, and other buildings for equestrian use. The Du Ponts were among several wealthy families in the Upper South who were influential in the development of Thoroughbred horse racing in the United States. The Du Pont family also added a Hodgson House to the property. These were known as "America's First Organized Prefabricated House Manufacturer before Aladdin, Sears, and Montgomery Ward," emphasizing that the homes could technically be built in a day. Still located on Montpelier's property, it is now known as the "Bassett House."^[13]

William and Annie had a daughter, Marion duPont, and a son William du Pont, Jr. Upon William du Pont, Sr.'s death in 1928, William du Pont, Jr. inherited the family's Bellevue estate in Delaware, whereupon he had the estate's mansion converted into a replica of Montpelier (now preserved as a state park),^[14] and Marion inherited the Montpelier estate. Marion preserved much of the core of the Madison home, gardens, and grounds as a legacy for all Americans. After her father's death, Marion made only one change to the house; she remodeled her parents' music room in the latest Art Deco style, using modern and innovative materials such as laminated plywood, chrome, glass block, and plate glass mirrors. A weather vane was installed on the ceiling, which allowed wind direction to direct the hounds for fox hunting. An exact replica of the Art Deco room can be seen in the DuPont Gallery, in the Visitors' Center at Montpelier. Prior to her parents moving into the property, they enlarged the house considerably, adding wings that more than doubled the number of rooms to 55. Her parents also had the brick covered with a stucco exterior for a lighter look.

Hunt Races

In 1934 Marion and her brother William founded the Montpelier Hunt Races, to be held on the grounds. Natural hedges were used as jumps for the steeplechase. The races continue to be held annually, the first Saturday each November.

Marion duPont Scott died in 1983 and bequeathed the property to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, with $10 million as an endowment to buy and maintain it. But, her father's will had stated that if she died childless, the property would go to her brother William duPont, Jr. and his children. As he had died in 1965, his five children legally inherited the property. Scott's will encouraged them to sell or give their interests to the National Trust; if they did not, they would get no share of an additional $3.1 million trust she had set up for them. Three of the children sold their interests in Montpelier to the National Trust, followed by the other two in 1984 after a court battle in which they tried to break the trust.^[15]