Loammi
Baldwin Jr.
and his five brothers worked with their civil engineer father Loammi Baldwin
Sr. on the ten-year construction of the Middlesex Canal. He later constructed Fort Strong in Boston
Harbor as well as the Milldam in Boston and Union Canal in Pennsylvania.
Baldwin Jr. was born in Massachusetts on May 16, 1780 and
graduated from Harvard College in 1800. From a young age he was mechanically inclined
and followed in his father's civil engineering footsteps. Loammi Baldwin Sr. took all five of his sons
with him while he worked on the Middlesex Canal. Baldwin Jr. was about 14 at the time.
Despite his interest in engineering, Baldwin Jr. entered a
law practice in Groton after graduation and later struck out on his own. Civil engineering called him back as he
developed distaste for the legal profession and he began studying public
works in England.
Upon his return from Europe, Baldwin Jr. established his own
civil engineering firm. He mainly worked
on public improvements such as roads, canals, and docks. Some of his projects included:
- Fort Strong in Boston Harbor
- Naval dry docks in Charlestown, Massachusetts
(1827-1834) and Norfolk, Virginia (built
from the same plans)
- Pennsylvania Union Canal
- Harrisburg Canal
- Holworthy and University Halls at Harvard
In addition he designed numerous bridges, canals, and a
marine railway. He was involved in the
planning of the Bunker Hill Monument in 1825 and his choice of the obelisk was selected for
use in the site.
Baldwin worked to find a way to introduce pure water to the
city of Boston. He was named Engineer of Improvements for the city of Boston. After his death of a stroke at age 58 on June
30, 1838, his brother James continued his work toward a safe water supply for
Boston. Loammi Baldwin Jr. kept detailed
diaries, sketchbooks, and log books that can be accessed via the libraries
linked below.
Resources: Harvard University
Library; Wikipedia
- Loammi Baldwin, Jr.; The
Winterthur Library
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