Blue Ball Barn

A museum in a former dairy barn, the Blue Ball Barn now houses the Delaware state folk art collection.

Built in 1914, by Alfred I. du Pont as part of a dairy farm he was building. His mansion and carillon stands nearby. The barn was named after an inn that used to be nearby. The inn was called this because a blue ball was raised up to show that passengers needed to be picked up by the carriages. The dairy barn was abandoned but was purchased later by the State of Delaware, then rehabilitated and renovated.

The Barn is now part of Alapocas Run State Park, which includes the nearby Can-Do playground.

Now, it has a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) -certified wing. LEED-certified buildings are designed to be environmentally efficient and green. The wing was built in 2004. The barn now functions, in addition to a museum, as a conference center.

The collection has pieces by more than 50 artists. It includes sculptures, ceramics, paintings, and textiles. 

The collection is housed in 3 rooms on the building’s second floor. The first floor has an exhibition on the history of the building, with an original cow stall.

In the summer, the Pawpaw Festival takes place. Food trucks and vendors are part of the festivities. Some of the vendors have made pieces that are in the collection.