Garnet Baltimore
Encyclopedia
Garnet Douglass Baltimore (April 15, 1859 – June 12, 1946) was an African-American engineer and a graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
in Troy, New York
, Class of 1881.
He was named for two prominent abolitionists, Henry Highland Garnet
and Frederick Douglass
. He was known for his architectural, engineering, and landscaping work, including Prospect Park
in Troy, and Forest Park Cemetery in Brunswick, New York
.
During his work on the extension of a lock on the Oswego Canal
, Baltimore developed a system to test cement
that was adopted as standard by the State of New York
. He was an inductee of the Rensselaer Hall of Fame. Each year Rensselaer hosts the Garnet D. Baltimore Lecture Series in his honor.
In February 2005, Troy mayor Harry Tutunjian ceremonially renamed the section of Eighth Street between Hoosick Street and Congress Street as Garnet Douglass Baltimore Street, "as a lasting tribute to a Trojan who gave so much to his community."
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Stephen Van Rensselaer established the Rensselaer School on November 5, 1824 with a letter to the Rev. Dr. Samuel Blatchford, in which van Rensselaer asked Blatchford to serve as the first president. Within the letter he set down several orders of business. He appointed Amos Eaton as the school's...
in Troy, New York
Troy, New York
Troy is a city in the US State of New York and the seat of Rensselaer County. Troy is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany and Schenectady, forming a region popularly called the Capital...
, Class of 1881.
He was named for two prominent abolitionists, Henry Highland Garnet
Henry Highland Garnet
Henry Highland Garnet was an African American abolitionist and orator. An advocate of militant abolitionism, Garnet was a prominent member of the abolition movement that led against moral suasion toward more political action. Renowned for his skills as a public speaker, he urged blacks to take...
and Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass was an American social reformer, orator, writer and statesman. After escaping from slavery, he became a leader of the abolitionist movement, gaining note for his dazzling oratory and incisive antislavery writing...
. He was known for his architectural, engineering, and landscaping work, including Prospect Park
Prospect Park (Troy, New York)
Prospect Park in Troy, New York, is an city park that was designed in 1903 by Garnet Baltimore, the first African-American graduate of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute ....
in Troy, and Forest Park Cemetery in Brunswick, New York
Brunswick, New York
Brunswick is a town in Rensselaer County, New York, United States that was originally settled in the early 18th century. During its history, it had been part of Albany County, Rensselaerswyck, and Troy, before its incorporation in 1807...
.
During his work on the extension of a lock on the Oswego Canal
Oswego Canal
The Oswego Canal is a canal in the New York State Canal System located in New York, United States. Opened in 1828, it is 23.7 miles in length, and connects the Erie Canal at Three Rivers to Lake Ontario at Oswego...
, Baltimore developed a system to test cement
Cement
In the most general sense of the word, a cement is a binder, a substance that sets and hardens independently, and can bind other materials together. The word "cement" traces to the Romans, who used the term opus caementicium to describe masonry resembling modern concrete that was made from crushed...
that was adopted as standard by the State of 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...
. He was an inductee of the Rensselaer Hall of Fame. Each year Rensselaer hosts the Garnet D. Baltimore Lecture Series in his honor.
In February 2005, Troy mayor Harry Tutunjian ceremonially renamed the section of Eighth Street between Hoosick Street and Congress Street as Garnet Douglass Baltimore Street, "as a lasting tribute to a Trojan who gave so much to his community."