In Depth
Construction of Mooar Mills began in 1888 under the direction of Francis Gurney du Pont and the plant went into production in 1890, a year after Henry’s death. Although both the construction and military markets for black powder were shrinking, the midwestern soft coal mining industry, which did not require high explosives, more than supported the Keokuk plant. It was expanded three times in fact: in 1892, 1900 and 1918 when it achieved a daily production of 6,400 kegs of blasting powder. By the 1940s, however, the market had declined to such an extent that Mooar was no longer viable. DuPont closed the facility in 1949.
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