The modern history of the area can be traced back to the early 19th century and is connected to the DuPont family. Montchanin, which was named after Anne Alexandrine de Montchanin, the mother of Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours, patriarch of the DuPont family. The village housed workers in the nearby DuPont gunpowder mill, and the town train station became an important stop for shipping black powder to the coal fields in Pennsylvania.
