Finding Aid to the Baldwin Family Papers, 1784-1904

Col. 204


© Winterthur Museum, Garden, and Library  
Winterthur, DE 19735  

Winterthur Logo
Table of contents
Abstract
The collection contains letters and accounts relating to construction projects in which members of the Baldwin family were involved, as well as sketch books and other items.

Background note:
The Baldwins represented in this collection were civil engineers from Woburn, Massachusetts. Loammi Baldwin was born in 1745 and educated at Woburn. He supplemented his studies by attending lectures at Harvard. He and his fellow student, Benjamin Thompson (later known as Count Rumford), made instruments to illustrate the principles they had heard about in class. When the Revolutionary War began, Baldwin was employed in land surveying and civil engineering. He served as a colonel in the American army and after the war became the sheriff of Middlesex County. He also represented Woburn in the state assembly in 1788 and 1789 and from 1800 to 1804. In 1785, Baldwin received an honorary M.A. from Harvard. From 1794 to 1804, he was the engineer who oversaw the construction of the Middlesex Canal.

Baldwin was married twice. He and his first wife, Mary Fowle, had four sons and a daughter. The younger two sons, Loammi, Jr., born in 1780, and James Fowle, born in 1782, followed their father's career path and became civil engineers. Baldwin and his second wife, Margaret Fowle, had two children, Clarissa and George Rumford. Under his father's training, George became a draftsman and civil engineer.

Loammi, Jr., along with his brothers, attended Westford Academy. He continued his education at Harvard and graduated in 1800. Although he focused on mechanical subjects in school, he studied law in Groton upon graduation. In 1804, he opened a law office in Cambridge. Three years later, he closed it, having judged his profession distasteful. After deciding to become a civil engineer, he went to England to examine public works. Upon his return, Baldwin pursued construction for the rest of his life. His efforts were concentrated on works of internal improvements, including roads, canals, and docks. Among his great works were the dry docks built at the Charlestown (Massachusetts) Navy Yard and the Norfolk (Virginia) Navy Yard, both built between 1827 and 1834 from the same plans. Baldwin was also engaged in building the Bunker Hill Monument, two buildings at Harvard, and finding a way to introduce pure water to the city of Boston. At one point in his life, Baldwin was named Engineer of Improvements for the city of Boston.

Although James Fowle Baldwin started his professional life in the mercantile business, he joined his brother, Loammi, in the construction of the Charlestown dry dock. In 1828, he and his brother were appointed to a commission to make a survey for a railroad from Boston to Albany. From 1830 to 1835, James worked on the construction of the Boston and Lowell Railroad. In 1837, he was appointed as a commissioner to examine and report on the Boston water supply. He served as water commissioner for a number of years.

George Rumford Baldwin, a particularly fine draftsman, divided his time between Woburn and Quebec, Canada. He designed and built the Boston Marine railway and was consulting engineer for the Charlestown and Quebec waterworks.

Scope and content
The material in this collection reflects the professional activities of the Baldwins. The elder Loammi Baldwin's work on the Middlesex Canal is recorded in a volume of the history of the canal compiled from Baldwin's papers by his son, James Fowle. It contains a list of canal acts, subscribers, and building contracts along with a discussion of the progress of building from an early land survey to letters that consider the construction of canal boats. Letters from William Weston, also an engineer on the project, were copied into the volume. Notices of payment due dates and meeting times and places document Loammi Baldwin's involvement with the Charles River Bridge.

Three of the manuscripts contain business accounts related to the construction of the Charlestown Naval Dry Docks between 1827-1834. The waste book (day book), ledger, and "accounts approved" volume all document building materials purchased, prices, and suppliers. Because Baldwin was superintendent of the entire project, other commodities that supported the project are also listed: office supplies, food and drink, hand tools, payroll, etc. Another manuscript deals with Loammi Baldwin, Jr.'s effort to upgrade Boston's water supply. Compiled by Eben A. Lester, it deals with wells in the city. Lester organized his work by street and then listed the name of the owner of the property, the number of wells on each lot, and the quality of the water. It offers information on Boston's pattern of settlement and commercial development.

In a manuscript entitled "The Duke of Bridgewater's Coal Mines at Worseley, 1807," and a series of copies of letters in "stylographic manifold writers," Baldwin recounts his experiences on a trip to England. While at Worseley, he journeyed by canal boat into mines, learned how the coal was mined, then brought to the surface, and finally transported to nearby Manchester. In letters, Loammi wrote about such topics as gas lighting, the London Bridge Water Works, and fire fighting in London, as well as leisure activities.

Two notebook sketchbooks kept by George Rumford record his travels throughout the 1820s and 1830s. The earlier volume includes a few illustrated essays (e.g. "Theory of Canal Cutting" and "Architecture"), but it is mainly a long series of identified sketches, mostly in pen, with a few in watercolor, of works and details of civil engineering as well as such objects as weathervanes, wheelbarrows, windmills, and fence posts. Several railways, a rotary pump, the original aqueduct over the Medford River, details of the Schuylkill Canal, and the Essex Bridge at Newburyport are among the places and projects depicted. The second volume is almost entirely filled with sketches in pen, pencil, ink wash, and 40 finished watercolors. The sketches include railroads, dams, canals, locks, waterworks, bridges, buildings, monuments, etc. The identified locations include New Orleans, Savannah, Washington, Boston, and various places in New England, upstate New York, Montreal, and Ottawa. These sketchbooks lend insight into the training and professional life of a civil engineer.

Other volumes in the collection include an inventory of the estate of James Fowle Baldwin, consisting of his financial resources; a record of soundings at various places in Boston harbor in 1867 and 1868 by Benjamin D. Frost, an assistant to George Rumford; a pamphlet describing the gift of the Baldwin Library of Engineering Works to the Woburn Public Library (the material was subsequently transferred to Harvard); and a volume labeled "Cross Section Book." It opens with soundings and borings taken in 1867 and includes a number of diagrams depicting water systems and water flow and distribution. There are also some letters from George T. Moffat.


Administrative information

Restrictions
None

Provenance
Most items were purchased from Charles B. Wood.


Additional descriptive information

Note
OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTION Extent: 1.3 cu.ft. Date range: 1784-1904, bulk dates 1820-1834 Creator: Baldwin family Title: Papers Dates: 1784-1904, bulk 1820-1834 Call No.: Col. 204 Acc. No.: 55x539, 58x23, 92x92 Quantity: 14 v. and 36 loose items Location: 15 J 4


Other descriptive information

Notes
The Winterthur Library

The Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and Printed Ephemera


Added entries

Subjects
  • Architectural drawing.
  • Architecture - Designs and plans.
  • Baldin, Loammi, Jr., 1780-1838.
  • Baldwin, George Rumford, 1798-1888.
  • Baldwin, James Fowle, 1782-1862.
  • Baldwin, Loammi, 1745-1807.
  • Boring.
  • Boston Harbor (Mass.)
  • Bridges.
  • Building materials.
  • Business records - Massachusetts - Charlestown (Boston)
  • Canals.
  • Charles River Bridge (Mass.)
  • Charlestown Navy Yard (Mass.)
  • Civil engineering.
  • Coal mines and mining - England.
  • Dry docks - Massachusetts.
  • Engineering drawings.
  • England - Description and travel.
  • Frost, Benjamin D.
  • Groundwater - Massachusetts - Boston.
  • Inventories of decedents' estates.
  • Lester, Eben A.
  • Middlesex Canal (Mass.)
  • Pen drawing.
  • Pencil drawing.
  • Railroad engineering.
  • Railroads.
  • Sounding and soundings - Massachusetts - Boston.
  • Technology - History.
  • United States - Description and travel.
  • Water-supply engineering.
  • Watercolor painting.
  • Waterworks.
  • Wells - Massachusetts - Boston.
  • Weston, William.

    Genre terms
  • Account books.
  • Daybooks.
  • Drawings.
  • Estate records.
  • Inventories.
  • Ledgers.
  • Letters.
  • Sketchbooks.
  • Sketches.
  • Watercolors.

    Functions and occupations
  • Civil engineers.

    Contact information

    Winterthur Museum, Garden, and Library
    [http://www.winterthur.org]
    Winterthur, DE 19735

     


    Collection inventory


    55x538, 58x23.  Charles River Bridge

    Consists of nine notices, dated 1785-1786, informing Loammi Baldwin that his payments for shares of the Charles River Bridge were due, along with a notice that payments had to be made within fifteen days or interest would be charged. Baldwin was one of 89 owners of the bridge. Also included are 29 notices of the place and time of meetings of the Directors of the Corporation, dated 1787-1799.


    92x92.1.  George Rumford Baldwin. Notebook and sketchbook kept during the 1820s.
    (123 p.)

    The volume features a few illustrated essays (e.g. "Theory of Canal Cutting" and "Architecture"), but it is mainly a series of identified sketches, mostly in pen, with a few in watercolor, of works and details of civil engineering as well as such objects as weathervanes, wheelbarrows, windmills, and fence posts. Several railways, a rotary pump, a cotton press, the original aqueduct over the Medford River, the Boston mill dam, details of the Schuylkill Canal, the Fairmont Waterworks, a dredging machine, a machine for mixing mortar, and the Essex Bridge at Newburyport are among the places and projects depicted.


    92x92.2.  George Rumford Baldwin. Notebook and sketchbook kept during the 1830s.
    (268 p.)

    This volume is almost entirely filled with sketches in pen, pencil, ink wash, and 40 finished watercolors, made by Baldwin as he traveled to study and sketch works of civil engineering. The sketches include railroads, dams, canals, locks, waterworks, bridges, buildings, monuments, etc. The identified locations include New Orleans, Savannah, Washington, Boston, and various places in New England, upstate New York, Montreal, and Ottawa. [A partial list of the sketches in this volume is available at this repository.]


    92x92.3.  "Minutes of the history of the Middlesex Canal, 1793-1797, collected from the papers of the late Col. Loammi Baldwin... by James F. Baldwin in Jan. 1830."
    (100 p.)

    Includes a list of canal acts, subscribers, and building contracts, dated 1799-1803. The minutes discuss the progress of building from the early land survey to letters that consider the construction of canal boats. A few illustrations appear, including six in color that show what are called Weston wheelbarrows. Letters from William Weston, also an engineer on the project, were copied into the volume. A letter from Loammi, Jr., to James Baldwin discussing work on the dry dock at Norfolk is laid in. Also included are two letters from J. B. Straw to Catherine R. Griffiths, the daughter of George Rumford Baldwin. Straw was inquiring about the availability of Baldwin's plans for the canal.


    92x92.4.  "The Duke of Bridgewater's Coal Mines at Worseley, 1807," by Loammi Baldwin, Jr.
    (8. p. and 10 watercolors)

    Discusses Baldwin's visit to the site. Baldwin recounts his journey by canal boat into the mines and describes how coal was mined, then brought to the surface, and finally transported to nearby Manchester. Watercolor and wash drawings illustrate boats, a wagon, and some carriers. Also included are drawings of two heads of males, one in watercolor and the other in pencil.


    92x92.5.  Accounts approved and sent to the Navy agent, 1827-1833.
    1827-1833.
    (33 p.)

    Records payrolls approved to the purser and accounts approved for the building of masonry dry docks at the Charlestown Navy Yard. Loammi received payment for his expenses and services. The accounts focus on building materials, their prices, and suppliers.


    92x92.6.  Inventory of the estate of James F. Baldwin as received from the Exr. of Sarah P. Baldwin. 1870.
    1870.
    (6 p.)

    Consists of a list of Baldwin's financial resources. He held stock and notes in utility and railroad companies. The market value of his investments is included.


    92x97.7.  Soundings in the Boston Harbor across Fort Point Channel, 1867 and 1868, by Benj. D. Frost.
    1867 and 1868,
    (100 p.)

    Frost was an assistant to George Rumford Baldwin. Soundings were taken to determine the depth of the water and were valuable to engineers contemplating harbor improvements.


    92x92.8.  A statistical account of the wells in the city of Boston taken by Eben A. Lester, July 1834, for Col. Loammi Baldwin.
    July 1834,
    (80pp.)

    The work is organized by street, followed by the name of the owner of the property, the number of wells on each lot, and the quality of the water (soft, hard, drinkable or not, suitable for washing and other conditions). Miscellaneous remarks were also included.


    92x92.9.  Waste book. 1827-1834.
    1827-1834.
    (222 p.)

    Account book detailing the expenses of the building of the Charlestown Naval dry docks of which Loammi Baldwin was engineer. (He was paid $4000 per annum plus expenses.) The volume contains details of supplies and construction on a daily basis.


    92x92.10.  Ledger book. 1827-1834.
    1827-1834.
    (158 p.)

    Companion volume to the waste book, dealing with the Charlestown dry dock. It breaks down transactions by the name of the firm or individual that had been contracted. Both volumes chronicle the purchase of building materials, including white oak timber, pine plank, bricks, slate, and cast iron. Other commodities that supported the project are also listed: office supplies, food and drink, hand tools, etc.


    92x92.11.  Letters, Loammi Baldwin, Jr.

    A red morocco folder with the spine title "Letters" containing blank books that were called "stylographic manifold writers," seemingly an early form of carbon paper. Two of the blank books are filled with copies of letters written from Loammi to family and friends while he was in England. He often wrote of subjects that held his professional interest, such as gas lighting, the London Bridge Water Works, and fire fighting in London, as well as his leisure activities: a visit to Westminster Abbey, a report on debates in Parliament, and a dinner he attended as the guest of the Humane Society.


    92x92.12.  Pamphlet from the Woburn Public Library. 1899.
    1899.

    Describes the gift of the Baldwin Library of Engineering Works. The collection was started by Loammi Baldwin and continued by his sons. (The books were subsequently transferred to Harvard.)


    92x92.13.  Cross section book.

    The volume opens with sounding and borings taken in 1867. It also includes a number of diagrams depicting water systems and water flow and distribution from 1904. A note indicates that some of the soundings were copied from Frost's field notes (presumably those in .7, above), but no other connection to the other papers in this collection is evident.


    92x92.14.  Letters, 1875
    1875

    Consists of stylographic writers, one of which contains letters from George to Emma describing his travels. A letter to H. B. Williams regarding problems with an easement reveals this George to be George T. Moffat. Also included is a lithograph of the Connecticut River Railroad Bridge at Williamsett. George Duggan was the architect and William Endicott & Co. was the lithographer.