The Giant That Stumbled: Baldwin Locomotive Works Dominated Its Field for a Century, Then Vanished

Posted by on Mar 24, 2021 in | Comments Off on The Giant That Stumbled: Baldwin Locomotive Works Dominated Its Field for a Century, Then Vanished How could a Philadelphia-based global giant with 20,000 employees and a history of 120 years of operation disappear, leaving little trace? It happened to the Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW), which perfected the art and science of building steam locomotives for domestic and worldwide markets. Baldwin was so dominant that in 1901, eight smaller builders that were scattered around the East banded...
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Editor’s Letter

Posted by on Mar 19, 2021 in | Comments Off on Editor’s Letter History is revisited and revised not only because newly found or overlooked evidence is uncovered through the years but also because distance in time and transformations in society often call for a fresh outlook to provide context and meaning for readers today. The features in this edition of Pennsylvania Heritage are written by experts who have been involved in extensive research in their...
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A Salute to the Bicentennial of the Keystone State

Posted by on Nov 29, 2013 in | Comments Off on A Salute to the Bicentennial of the Keystone State The current Bicentennial celebration commemorates not the birth of the United States, but the proclama­tion of thirteen British-American colonies that were “free and independent states” as of July 4, 17.76. When they formed a loose compact in 1761, their articles of confederation declared that “each state retains its sover­eignty, freedom and independence.” The...
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Noble Ambitions: The Founding of the Franklin Institute

Posted by on Nov 26, 2013 in | Comments Off on Noble Ambitions: The Founding of the Franklin Institute In the minds of its founders, the Franklin Institute was built on noble ambitions,” historian Bruce Sinclair has written. And born of a young man’s fury, it might be added. In 1823, twenty-two year old Samuel Vaughan Merrick was denied membership in a Philadelphia mechanics’ asso­ciation. A number of similar organizations had sprung up in the early part of the nine­teenth...
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No Featherweight in the Annals of Archery: The United Bowmen Of Philadelphia

Posted by on Nov 26, 2013 in | Comments Off on No Featherweight in the Annals of Archery: The United Bowmen Of Philadelphia The fraternal symbol­ism seems mysterious, even magical. A pavilion is outfitted with wings. In its center, a tall pole flies a flag bearing an insignia of a brass quiver stuffed with feathery arrows. The quiver is said to represent this little known club, and the arrows the fellowship and fraternity of its members. A belt – the ends of which form the bold letters U and B­ – which...
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Locomotives by Baldwin Locomotive Works

Posted by on Nov 25, 2013 in | Comments Off on Locomotives by Baldwin Locomotive Works For many years, railroads – especially the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) – literally moved the nation. Affectionately called the Pennsy, the Pennsylvania Railroad Company was not the first railroad in the United States, but it grew to become the largest and most powerful in the world. In its heyday, the company employed more than one hundred and sixty thousand workers in the Keystone...
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Baldwin-Hamilton Company Records

Posted by on Nov 25, 2013 in | Comments Off on Baldwin-Hamilton Company Records While the primary responsibility of the Pennsylvania State Archives is to preserve and make available for research the records created by the activities of state government, an important secondary charge is to preserve privately created manuscripts and corporate records that illuminate the history of the Commonwealth. One of the largest such collections is Manuscript Group (MG) 427, the...
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An Address for the Afterlife at Laurel Hill Cemetery

Posted by on Nov 20, 2013 in | Comments Off on An Address for the Afterlife at Laurel Hill Cemetery It all began in 1836, when architect John Notman (1810–1865) laid out a series of meandering walkways and terraces on the east bank of the Schuylkill River above Fairmount Park. With his design for Laurel Hill Cemetery, the twenty-six-year-old native of Scotland created the first architecturally designed cemetery in the country. He also established the nation’s second garden-type cemetery,...
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