Abbot Augustus Low
Encyclopedia
Abbot Augustus Low was an entrepreneur
and inventor from Brooklyn
, who lived in St. Lawrence County, New York
and was the owner of the Horseshoe Forestry Company. He was the son of Abiel Abbot Low
and owned 32000 acres (129.5 km²) in in an area of upstate New York known as Horseshoe, located on the Western shore of Horseshoe Lake
, in Piercefield, New York
and extending onto bordering land in Colton, New York
.
Low was an inventor and held various patents, such as a means of preserving maple sugar
a motor, an exhaust system, an igniter and a bottle. Low filed a patent application in 1909 for a "waste-paper receptacle" that is believed to have been the first paper shredder. It received the U.S. patent number 929,960 on August 31, 1909, but was never manufactured.
Low's property around Lows Lake, also known as the Bog River Flow, included a narrow gauge railroad, a blacksmith shop, an energy generating plant, a stable, an engine house, storehouses, maple sugaring buildings, employee housing and boathouses. Low developed the property with two dams to produce electricity and aid annual log driving
s. It is now part of the Bog River Management Unit in Adirondack Park. Low's business enterprises included spring water production, maple syrup, wild berry preserve and wood products.
Abbot Low and his brother Seth Low
, president of Columbia University
, built a hospital in Wu-Chang, China
in memory of their father, Abiel Abbot Low
, a "successful" merchant
in Canton
.
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
and inventor from Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, who lived in St. Lawrence County, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and was the owner of the Horseshoe Forestry Company. He was the son of Abiel Abbot Low
Abiel Abbot Low
Abiel Abbot Low was an American entrepreneur, businessman, trader and philanthropist who gained most of his fortune from the China trade, importing teas, porcelains, and silk, and building and operating a fleet of reputable clipper ships.- Early life :Abiel Abbot Low was one of twelve children of...
and owned 32000 acres (129.5 km²) in in an area of upstate New York known as Horseshoe, located on the Western shore of Horseshoe Lake
Horseshoe Lake
-in Canada:*Horseshoe Lake, in Seguin Township, Ontario*Horseshoe Lake , on the Pipestone River in Kenora District, Ontario*Horseshoe Lake, in Jasper National Park-in the United States:*Horseshoe Lake, Arizona...
, in Piercefield, New York
Piercefield, New York
Piercefield is a town in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The population was 305 at the 2000 census.The Town of Piercefield is in the southeast corner of the county and is southeast of Canton.- History :...
and extending onto bordering land in Colton, New York
Colton, New York
Colton is a town in St. Lawrence County, New York, USA. The population was 1,453 at the 2000 census. The town, originally named Matildaville, is named after early settler Jesse Colton Higley....
.
Low was an inventor and held various patents, such as a means of preserving maple sugar
Maple sugar
Maple sugar is a traditional sweetener in the northeastern United States and Canada, prepared from the sap of the sugar maple tree.-Preparation:...
a motor, an exhaust system, an igniter and a bottle. Low filed a patent application in 1909 for a "waste-paper receptacle" that is believed to have been the first paper shredder. It received the U.S. patent number 929,960 on August 31, 1909, but was never manufactured.
Low's property around Lows Lake, also known as the Bog River Flow, included a narrow gauge railroad, a blacksmith shop, an energy generating plant, a stable, an engine house, storehouses, maple sugaring buildings, employee housing and boathouses. Low developed the property with two dams to produce electricity and aid annual log driving
Log driving
Log driving is a means of log transport which makes use of a river's current to move floating tree trunks downstream to sawmills and pulp mills.It was the main transportation method of the early logging industry in Europe and North America...
s. It is now part of the Bog River Management Unit in Adirondack Park. Low's business enterprises included spring water production, maple syrup, wild berry preserve and wood products.
Abbot Low and his brother Seth Low
Seth Low
Seth Low , born in Brooklyn, New York, was an American educator and political figure who served as mayor of Brooklyn, as President of Columbia University, as diplomatic representative of the United States, and as Mayor of New York City...
, president of Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, built a hospital in Wu-Chang, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
in memory of their father, Abiel Abbot Low
Abiel Abbot Low
Abiel Abbot Low was an American entrepreneur, businessman, trader and philanthropist who gained most of his fortune from the China trade, importing teas, porcelains, and silk, and building and operating a fleet of reputable clipper ships.- Early life :Abiel Abbot Low was one of twelve children of...
, a "successful" merchant
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
in Canton
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
.