POtW: John Baldwin Mill Site

Before we get onto this week's picture, I have some news. I love Kansas and I love sharing pictures of the place where I live and driving around to get those pictures. I have received numerous praise for this feature and am glad that so many people enjoy looking at the picture and maybe learning a little something. This will be the last Picture of the Week for a while. I enjoy doing it but I am starting to focus on my short story writing and continuing with my novel that I really don't have time to drive around, take pictures, choose a picture and write about it. I don't know when it will be back but I will be sure to let you know and I post pictures on this site all the time so it's not like this site will be pictureless until then.

Today's picture is from my pseudo-hometown of Baldwin City. This is the site of John Baldwin's mill. Baldwin came to Kansas from Ohio and settled in Palmyra, just north of present day Baldwin. Baldwin built a mill along the banks of the east fork of Tauy Creek where Fifth and Indiana are now. Baldwin donated the land for both Baker University and Baldwin City. In 1867, Baldwin moved to a plantation in Louisiana. He also donated money to establish a school for boys and a school for girls in India. Baldwin died at his home in Baldwin, Louisiana (another place named for him) in December of 1884.


Baldwin-Wallace in Berea, Ohio was also named for him after he took up the cause to start the university in 1843. The mill no longer exists and the redwood sign marking the location of the site (the redwood sign was next to the street sign) has been taken down.