Loammi Baldwin facts for kids
Loammi Baldwin (born January 10, 1744 – died October 20, 1807) was an important American engineer, politician, and soldier. He fought in the American Revolutionary War.
Baldwin is often called the "Father of American Civil Engineering." Many of his five sons also became well-known engineers, including Cyrus, Benjamin Franklin Baldwin, Loammi Baldwin, Jr., James Fowle Baldwin, and George Rumford Baldwin. Loammi Baldwin was in charge of building the Middlesex Canal. Today, he is perhaps best known for the Baldwin apple. He helped make this apple popular across the northeastern United States. The apple was first found on a farm in Wilmington, Massachusetts, around 1750.
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Early Life and Education
Loammi Baldwin went to grammar school in Woburn, Massachusetts. He would walk from North Woburn to Cambridge with his younger friend, Benjamin Thompson. They went to lectures by Professor John Winthrop at Harvard College. Baldwin and Thompson also did their own science experiments at home. Baldwin earned a Master of Arts degree from Harvard in 1785.
Military Service
In 1774, Baldwin joined a military group. He led the Woburn militia as a major during the Battle of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775. He described seeing many people wounded or dead after the British fired on the Lexington people. He and his men then went to Concord.
Early in the war, he joined the 26th Continental Regiment. He quickly became a lieutenant-colonel. When his commander retired in August 1775, Baldwin took charge of the regiment and was made a colonel.
Baldwin and his men stayed near Boston until the end of 1775. In April 1776, they were sent to New York City. He fought in the Battle of Pell's Point on October 18, 1776. On the night of December 25–26, General Washington and his army crossed the Delaware River during a harsh snowstorm. They then fought the Battle of Trenton on December 26. Baldwin and his regiment were part of both the crossing and the battle. In 1777, Baldwin left the army because he was not well.
Political Roles
Between 1780 and 1796, Baldwin was elected to several public jobs. In 1780, he became the high sheriff of Middlesex County, Massachusetts. He was the first person to hold this job after the state's constitution was approved. From 1778 to 1784, he represented Woburn in the Massachusetts General Court, which is the state's legislature. In 1794, he ran for election to the United States House of Representatives.
Engineering Achievements
Baldwin started working on the Middlesex Canal in 1794 with his older sons. After nine years of hard work, the canal opened for use in 1803. He also helped build defenses for Boston. His son Cyrus continued his father's work on the Middlesex Canal. Another son, Benjamin, worked on the Boston Mill Dam.
The Baldwin Apple
Loammi Baldwin is famous for the Baldwin apple. This apple was first found on a farm owned by John Ball in Wilmington, Massachusetts, around 1750. It was first called "Woodpecker" by a later owner of the farm. Colonel Baldwin recognized how good this apple was. After 1784, he helped spread it and make it popular throughout the northeastern United States.
Other Interests and Legacy
In 1782, Baldwin was chosen as a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He wrote about his early experiments with electricity. One paper described a "Curious Appearance of the Electrical Fluid" from an electrical kite he flew during a thunderstorm in 1771. His family and neighbors saw the amazing electrical effects he created.
His home, known as the Baldwin House, was built in 1660 and expanded in the 1800s. It still stands in Woburn today and is used as a Chinese restaurant.
Family Life
Loammi Baldwin married Mary Fowle on July 9, 1772. They had four sons. Mary passed away in 1786 at age 39. He married again on May 26, 1791, to Margaret Fowle. They had a son and a daughter.
Some historians believe that Loammi Baldwin was a cousin of John Chapman, who is better known as Johnny Appleseed.
Images for kids
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A statue of Loammi Baldwin in Woburn, Massachusetts, which was repaired in the fall of 2007 to replace the missing sword.
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Loammi Baldwin
