Known for his abolitionist views and philanthropy, Matthias W. Baldwin built from scratch one of Philadelphia's most successful businesses, the Baldwin Locomotive Works.
Baldwin was born December 10, 1795 in N.J. and at 16 became an apprentice jewelry maker in Philadelphia. In 1825 he and a partner formed a printing machinery business, which gradually transitioned into steam engine manufacturing.
Using his knowledge of engines, he built a demonstration steam locomotive in 1831. The next year he built a full size locomotive for the Philadelphia, Germantown & Norristown Railroad. Nicknamed "Old Ironsides", the locomotive, with some refinements, achieved a speed of 28 mph and was in service for 20 years. He soon outgrew his workshop in Old City and moved his factory in 1835 to (what was) the countryside at Broad and Spring Garden.
During Baldwin's lifetime, the plant built more than 1,500 locomotives. He was a consistent donor to religious and secular charitable causes throughout his life. He was a staunch abolitionist who fought to extend the vote to free black men, which led to a Southern boycott of his engines before the Civil War. Baldwin was a founder of the Franklin Institute and also used his wealth to establish a school for African-American children.
Baldwin died in 1866, but his company continued to prosper. At his death it was one of the largest locomotive producers in the U.S. By 1880, they were producing 2½ times as many engines as its nearest competitor. The Works grew to 39 buildings covering 17 urban acres and employing some 18,000 workers at it's peak.
By the 1920's, the plant on Spring Garden St. proved too small and the company eventually moved to a larger, more modern facility in Eddystone, just south of the city. Baldwin was late to the switch from steam to diesel, which eventually led to it's demise. In 1956, after 125 years of continuous locomotive production, Baldwin ceased production.
From humble beginnings, Mathias Baldwin built a company that would go on to build over 70,000 locomotives sold to railroads all over the globe. Many Baldwin locomotives are still in existence. The Franklin Institute has on display Baldwin Engine #60000, built in 1926. The Walt Disney Company has 7 operational Baldwin locomotives at Disneyland and Disneyworld.
A statue of Baldwin was first erected in Philadelphia in 1906, and moved to City Hall in 1936. Mathias Baldwin Park stands in Fairmount on 2 acres of the former Locomotive Works site.
1903 map of Baldwin Locomotive Works
1928 view, with Inquirer Engine 60000 Baldwin statue by City Hall
Building near upper right
Historical marker by Baldwin Park
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