Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours & Chevannes

An emblematic figure of the Age of Enlightenment and his connection with Bois-des-Fossés

🏛️ Installation in Chevannes

In 1774, Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours acquired the Bois-des-Fossés estate in Chevannes, Loiret. It quickly became his intellectual refuge and a laboratory for his economic and agricultural ideas.

He settled there to devote himself to his writings and the management of his lands, in accordance with the principles of physiocracy, a movement with which he was closely associated.

📜 Influential thinker and landowner

During his years at Chevannes, he divided his time between Paris and his estate. He developed innovative farming techniques and kept in touch with the leading thinkers of his time.

Agriculture is the primary source of the wealth of nations.” – P.S. du Pont de Nemours.

In 1789, he was elected deputy for the bailliage of Nemours to the Estates-General, where he played an active part in the debates that led to the Revolution.

🌍 His departure for the U.S.

Fleeing the troubles of the Revolution, he left France in 1800 to settle in the United States with his sons.
His son, Éleuthère Irénée du Pont, founded the DuPont company, which went on to become one of the world’s leading industrial groups.

🔗 Inheritance and memory

Despite his departure, his time in Chevannes remains an important part of local history.
Today, his memory is preserved through the “Sauvegarde du Patrimoine Pontique du Bois-des-Fossés” association and heritage conservation initiatives.