John Baldwin -- Educator To The Masses

John Baldwin was born in Bradford, Connecticut on October 13, 1799. One writer described him: "He was above the medium in height, spare, inclined to lankness, face a little 'peaked', shoulders stooped, the limbs long (perhaps this impression was caused by his clothes being too short) shoes (when any were worn) of the coarsest cowhide, clothes stout and durable but coarse, shirt of unbleached muslin, hat soft and slouched, but underneath its brim, a pair of the sharpest keenest black eyes, which would kindle with mirth or snap with the fire of indignation, and all backed up by a nimble tongue, and active brain and an expressive, mobile face."

JB brought his bride Mary to Ohio in 1828. The newlywed's trip from Connecticut to Ohio "required three weeks, by coach, by canal boat, by lake steamboat and finally by foot from Cleveland to Vaughn Farm in Middleburg Township." Certainly not an easy comfortable trip.

Once they arrived, Baldwin got busy. He discovered one of Berea's richest natural assets - the sandstone quarries, established Baldwin University, invented lathes with which to cut the sandstone, laid out the street plans for the growing village, worked to get the first railroad track through the streets for Berea, and by 1850, he was the village of Berea's first mayor. It is understandable that Berea's character was greatly influenced by John Baldwin.

JOHN BALDWIN OPENS SCHOOLS IN THE U.S. & ABROAD

Shortly after coming to Ohio, John began his "career" in education. W. C. Markham, editor of the Baldwin, Kansas wrote, "John Baldwin, shrewd Yankee, self-abnegating with a hobby for educating the masses, helped to establish the town of Berea, Ohio in the early 40's." "Educating the masses" is right. By the time J.B. was retired (if, indeed, he ever really was) he had established four schools in a large geographical area. These were Baldwin University in Berea, Ohio; Baker University in Baldwin, Kansas; Baldwin High School of Bangalore, India; and Baldwin Academy in Baldwin, Louisiana. According to The Baldwin-Wallace Alumnus of February, 1923 he also had missionary schools in Manila. All this at a time when horses were the chief means of transportation!

Over in Bangalore, Uncle John donated $3,000 for the purchase of some buildings for a boys' high school and a girls' high school c. 1881. You see, dear old J.B. had some pretty liberal ideas. He believed that girls were entitled to just as much education as boys. It was this belief that prompted him to make Baldwin University in Berea one of the first co-ed colleges in America.

A few years earlier (1859), J.B. built the first college building for the up and coming Baker University of Baldwin, Kansas. Originally the city had been called Palymra, but the name was changed to honor John Baldwin.

Around 1856, Baldwin went to Douglas County, Kansas and laid out the Town of Baldwin City, Kansas. He shipped some machinery, a large boiler and some grindstones from Berea to Kansas. He then set up grist mills, saw mills and cotton mills for a self-supporting community and started a school, which became Baker University. While moving the steam boiler from Berea to Baldwin, Kansas, J.B. filled the boiler with yarn which he sold along the way to help defray the cost of moving the heavy boiler.

The Kansas community was a bit hostile to Baldwin's usual stipulations of providing land for industry and the university, that sale or manufacture of liquor be forbidden, and that the University be open to both men and women regardless of race, nationality or creed. But Uncle John won the fight and after these stipulations were accepted, he turned the University over to the Methodist Conference while assisting in the school's formation and expenses.

At the age of 68, Baldwin purchased the D. Darby plantation of 1700 acres for $20,000. The land was on the Teche River in Saint Mary's Parish Louisiana. Forty acres of it contained about 15-20 buildings which had been constructed and occupied by the Brethren of the Mississippi Mission Conference. After renovating the building, Baldwin incorporated an organization for religious and manual training and education. Here again J.B. met with hostility because of his stipulations regarding liquor and education regardless of race, creed, color or sex. The populace was especially hostile since this was the heart of former slave territory and the people were still feeling the depressions of losing the Civil War. Attempting to forestall violence to himself, his family and his property, Uncle John eventually had to make some concessions on the race issue. This newest haven of education was called Baldwin Seminary, and the sugar cane plantation, which eventually grew to 4, 200 acres, was the life-giving industry to the school.

BALDWIN PHILOSOPHY

John Baldwin's career as an educator started early in his life. Though he was totally self-educated he soon became qualified to teach primary classes. During this time he took his stand for education for ALL children regardless of sex, color or nationality - a stand which was to cause him much trouble throughout his life. During these early years, Uncle John attempted to teach a young mulatto boy who was a servant of an aristocrat's child attending the school Baldwin taught in. The father of the young elite raised objections to Baldwin's teaching the servant boy, but J.B. stood firm and replied that since he was tutoring the boy on his own time and without pay, it was no one else's business
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During his 85 years, Uncle John did much to help education grow in America and overseas. He invented lathes and grindstones, machines and city systems; he served as mayor, husband and father. He lived by his convictions and, in the end, died by them - literally. It seems that Uncle John believed it was a sin to take medicines. His two cures for everything were prayer and fasting. When he fell sick in 1884 he refused medicine saying, "I have sinned, and this affliction has come upon me because of it, and I will not add to my sin another by taking medicine; but I have faith that fasting and prayer will work the cure."

John Baldwin died in Louisiana on December 28, 1884.

This story is excerpted from The Past We Inherit
History of Baldwin-Wallace College (copyright Bette Lou Higgins, 2009, 2010.)

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