[2][4] Pamela Copeland was listed in Forbes Magazine in 1985 as one of the wealthiest people in America, with a fortune of $150 million based on holdings in the Du Pont Co.[5] In 1937 the Copelands built Mount Cuba, at 3120 Barley Mill Rd., Greenville, New Castle County, Delaware, not far from Wilmington.

[6][7] The house, in neo-Georgian style with extensive gardens, was furnished with eighteenth century American furniture and wood paneling.

[7] An initial plan for formal gardens at Mount Cuba was drawn up by Thomas Warren Sears when the house was built, but it was not completed.

[8] In the 1960s, the Copelands worked with landscape architect Seth Kelsey in developing a system of ponds, paths, and plants.

"[10] In 1987, Copeland received the Achievement Award Medal of the Garden Club of America "for her establishment of the Mount Cuba Center, for her vision in preserving rare and endangered plants, and for her understanding of horticulture and conservation".

[2][7] In 1996, a variety of trillium was named for Copeland, Trillium grandiflorum 'Pamela Copeland', by Roberta and Frederick W. Case, Jr.[16] Copeland was involved in land conservation and historic preservation at a number of important sites, including the Red Clay Reservation in Hockessin, Delaware, Winterthur, Gunston Hall Plantation and the White House in Washington, D.C. She and her husband donated lands and money in the 1950s to create the Red Clay Reservation, preserving open lands that would otherwise have been developed.

[2] She was a charter member of the Board of Trustees at Winterthur Museum and Gardens, and the First Regent of Gunston Hall Plantation, the home of the George Mason family, from 1951 to 1960.

She served in a variety of positions with other organizations including Historic Deerfield, the Peabody Essex Museum, the council of the American Association of Museums, the Historical Society of Delaware, and the Decorative Arts Award Committee of the Henry Francis du Pont Award Committee.

[18] In 1986, Copeland received the Henry Francis du Pont Award from Winterthur Museum for her "contributions of national significance to the knowledge, preservation, and enjoyment of American decorative arts, architecture, landscape design, and gardens.

Before her death, she donated a significant part of her porcelain collection to the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts.