My dad worked at the DuPont nylon plant (the first one in the world) as did most of the people in this small town. We lived here until my dad was transferred to Wilmington, DE, when I was in second grade. Some people live their whole lives where they grew up, but our family left this town and never looked back! This was my first visit back ever (that's 57 years!)
For some unknown reason, I can clearly recall the addresses of the two places where we lived. Maybe it's because my parents made me memorize them before I could read. Anyway, I just entered the first address Google Maps and, sure enough, I recognized it right it away.
It was, and still is, a duplex (although there is only one front door). We had two bedrooms, one for my parents and the other for my two older brothers and me.
We used to climb this tree that is still in the front (and remember being scolded by my dad for it). The two porches in the rear bring back vivid memories of my brother, Bob, cutting a hole through the screen separating us from our neighbors so we (and they) could easily climb through. That was big trouble for us both!!
Next we drove to the second place my parents rented. This was a single family home and I had my own bedroom for the first time. And I hated it! I was afraid to be alone and used to beg (unsuccessfully) my brother to come in to stay with me until I went to sleep.
A couple of streets over is Seaford Elementary School where I went from kindergarten through first semester of second grade. And it is still open!
The other place I remembered was where we went to church, St. Luke's Episcopal Church. And it was just as I remembered it. Unfortunately, it was not open as I would have loved to see the interior. Founded in 1847, it became became a National Historic Place in 1977.
We stopped at the Seaford Museum where I asked for directions to the DuPont plant (where my dad worked). A gentlemen there told us he was driving past there and we should follow him (which we did).
The 35-acre DuPont facility went into production in December, 1939. It ran 24 hours a day, with a one-two week shutdown each summer. It produced 8 million pounds of nylon yarn a year and earned Seaford the nickname of "Nylon Capital of the World." In 1948, DuPont converted one of the plant production unites to Fiber V (later known as Dacron). DuPont was not only the hub of employment for the town, but it supported many ancillary businesses here. Downsizing began in the 1970s and by 2003 the plant was sold to Invista who closed it 5 years later. It has been devastating to the community.
My dad continued working in the Textile Fibers Division of DuPont with transfers from Seaford to Wilmington, DE, in 1960; to Charlotte, NC, in 1963; and back to Wilmington, DE, in 1971. After retirement, he continued consulting services for the company as they sold Dacron technology to international firms.
It was really fun to revisit my past here. John and I shared a lot of childhood stories while we were driving around the small town. I never would have planned a trip to this area, but ended up here by happenstance. Serendipity!
But it also made me really miss my brother, Bob, who died earlier this year, as we shared so many, many memories here. It is sad not to be able to talk with him about those days long ago. Mostly, seeing these sights helped me recall the happy memories of my childhood with my family. Sweet.
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