The duPonts

William duPont, Sr., and Annie Rogers Zinn duPont

Montpelier changed hands in November 1900, when William King Lennig of Philadelphia purchased the property. Lennig was William duPont's secretary and was acting as his agent in this purchase. The property was formally transferred to William duPont in January 1901. At the time of the transition the duPonts were living at Binfield Park outside London so it was left to Mr. Lennig to organize the initial changes and enlargements to the house. A year later William duPont, his wife Annie Rogers Zinn duPont, and their two children, Marion and William (Willie), moved to Montpelier.

Daughter Marion recalled that the mansion's renovations demanded much of her father's attention:

"My father added on several rooms and made the wings two stories high. [He] was here pretty solidly the first two years after we got the place. Then he went back to business in Wilmington."

The scale of these additions can be seen by comparing the number of rooms. In 1901 Montpelier was a 22-room house (not counting the English Basement); when the duPonts completed the additions and renovations, there were 55 rooms and 12 bathrooms.

Annie duPont furnished and decorated Montpelier after the family arrived in 1902, although she had begun selecting chandeliers, mirrors, sofas, and tables while still living in England.

Annie and William maintained other homes as well—one near Wilmington, closer to the duPont enterprises in Delaware; a second in Pennsylvania; and a third, a winter home, in Georgia. Annie also enjoyed overseas travel and frequently returned to London during the summer months. Yet Montpelier remained their primary residence for more than 25 years.

Marion duPont Scott

Marion was eight years old when the family moved to Montpelier. She was born in Wilmington, evidently during a visit home from England. Her younger brother, who was six when they came to Virginia, was born in England. The two children instantly loved their new home, especially the pets and ponies that seemed a natural part of rural Virginia. They preferred the pony stables and the less formal rooms of the Mansion, but their governesses would have consulted with their mother in the Morning Room to review the children's schoolwork, lessons, and other activities.

Although their son, Willie, moved to Delaware after he grew up, Marion made Montpelier her lifelong home. Annie and William duPont died within two years of each other in the late 1920s. Although Marion left much of the house as her parents had left it, she created the Red Room in the Art Deco style to reflect her personality. The Red Room has been meticulously disassembled and re-installed in the new Visitor Center.

Marion duPont Scott (riding side-saddle) and Wild Son.

Marion was constantly pushing at the constraints on women. Her athletic horsemanship was unusual, as was her strong management of her stables. She delighted in breaking a social taboo by riding astride in Madison Square Garden in 1915.

Marion developed Montpelier as one of the nation's leading horse-training centers, and covered the walls of The Red Room with photographs of her champions. Her most famous horse was Battleship who, in 1938, was the first American horse to win the British Grand National Steeplechase.

Marion's lifelong love of horses was equaled by her love of Montpelier. Her affection for the place began the day her parents moved here. The natural beauty, the endless opportunities for outdoor activities, and, ultimately, the freedom to establish her own identity, all made Montpelier irresistible.

Marion was married twice in her life. In her 20s, she was married briefly to Thomas Somerville, a relationship that she rarely mentioned afterward. Several years later, she wed a rising young actor, Randolph Scott, whom she met while he was attending nearby Woodberry Forest School. Their marriage faltered with Scott's success as a movie star. Marion rejected the idea of Hollywood society, preferring the horses at Montpelier and the independent life she had led there. Marion never had children, and never remarried after her divorce from Randolph Scott. She and Scott remained lifelong friends.

In her final years, Marion determined that Montpelier should be preserved and opened to the public as a monument to James Madison. In her will, she made arrangements that transferred the estate to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and in 1984, a little more than one year after her death, the National Trust assumed ownership.

The duPont Legacy

Marion duPont Scott. (National Trust for Historic Preservation)

Members of the duPont family were the stewards of Montpelier for more than eight decades—from 1901, when William and Annie duPont purchased the estate, until 1983, when their daughter Marion duPont Scott's heirs bequeathed the property to the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Restoring the mansion to the Madison period fulfills Mrs. Scott's wishes. Her will specified that it would be appropriate for Montpelier to be owned by an organization that would restore Montpelier "in such a manner as to conform as nearly as possible with the architectural pattern which existed when said property was owned and occupied by President Madison."

Mrs. Scott's will also noted that it would be "appropriate that the mansion house be furnished with furniture and furnishings formerly owned by James Madison" and "be made available to the general public as an historic shrine."

The mansion investigation revealed that William duPont was a remarkable preservationist, ahead of his time, who carefully preserved the Madison home even as he modernized and expanded the structure, and who preserved the house, gardens, and grounds of Montpelier as a legacy for all Americans.

As part of the restoration project, Montpelier built the William duPont Gallery to highlight the duPont legacy at Montpelier. The new "William duPont Gallery" consists of three spaces:

• The Grand Salon that in its design and decorations was inspired by the formal rooms in the mansion created by William duPont, Sr.
• An interpretative exhibit space that tells the story of the duPont family at Montpelier.
• A re-creation of the mansion's "Red Room," Mrs. Scott's Art Deco room showcasing her horseracing memorabilia.

Construction of the Visitor Center and William duPont Gallery was completed in 2007.

Montpelier also continues to host the Montpelier Hunt Races, an annual steeplechase event started by Mrs. Scott and her brother William duPont, Jr.