Local author Illona Holland pens story about gunpowder mill explosion
A newly released children’s book by local author Ilona E. Holland is based on a firsthand account of an explosion at a DuPont gunpowder mill in 1818. December 12, 2020
Author, educator and presenter Ilona E. Holland of Rehoboth Beach recently released her new children s book, “The Great Explosion: A Powder Mill Chronicle.” Published by Hagley Museum and Library, the book tells the story of the courageous du Pont children as they escape the Great Explosion of 1818. It is based on a firsthand account and includes much informational background about life on the Brandywine in the 19th century. The illustrations were done by Judy Love, who also collaborated with Holland on “The Lost Locket of Lewes,” which won first-place awards in children’s fiction from the National Federation of Press Women and the Delaware Press Association.