Photographs from the Records & Ephemera of Hercules Incorporated

Formed in 1912 as part of an anti-trust settlement with DuPont, the Hercules Powder Company (later Hercules Incorporated) specialized in the manufacture of explosives and smokeless powders. Based in Wilmington, Delaware, Hercules was a major Allied supplier during World War I and gained particular notoriety for the production of acetone, a key solvent, from giant kelp harvested from coastal waters. Following the war, Hercules sought out peacetime uses for its considerable chemical supply and diversified its business to encompass a variety of industrial products, including pine and paper chemicals, synthetics, pigments, polymers, and cellulose. This trend continued after the Second World War, as Hercules further expanded into emerging fields like missiles and rocketry and emerged as a truly international company with plants across the United States and in countries as varied as Mexico, Germany, and Japan. In 1966, the company changed its name from Hercules Powder Company to Hercules Inc. to better reflect the multi-faceted business model exemplified by the company’s mid-century tagline, “solving problems by chemistry for industry.” While Hercules continued to expand throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the end of the Cold War and rocket-based space exploration programs ultimately curtailed the company’s prospects for growth and Ashland Corporation eventually acquired Hercules Inc. in 2008.