How a 12-year-old girl powered 7 American towns by flipping a switch

Bloede’s Underwater Dam Powers Seven Maryland Towns

Victor Bloede fled Germany in 1850 as a child refugee and built an empire in America. After making his mark with textile dyes and stamp glue, he took on a bold new task in 1906.

Bloede hired engineer Otto Wonder to build something no one had tried before—a dam with all its parts underwater.

The $175,000 project stretched 220 feet across the Patapsco River, with turbines that made 11,000 volts of power.

When his 12-year-old daughter Vida flipped the switch in 1908, guests ate waffles from electric makers while Bloede lit up seven towns.

The dam’s story lives on at Patapsco Valley State Park, where you can walk the trail where this groundbreaking power plant once stood.

A German Refugee Boy Fled to America in 1850

Victor Gustav Bloede was born March 14, 1849, in Dresden, Saxony during the German uprisings.

His father Gustav, a doctor and city councilman, ran from political troubles in 1848. The family left Antwerp on the Julia Howard in July 1850 and reached New York in August.

They settled in Brooklyn where their home became a meeting place for many famous 1800s figures. Young Victor started working at age 11 to help his family while still going to school.

Cooper Institute Shaped the Future Dam Builder’s Mind

Victor finished his engineering degree from Cooper Institute in 1867 at just 18 years old. He knew founder Peter Cooper personally, and Cooper became his lifelong hero.

Cooper taught him about creating new things, running businesses, and giving back. Victor first worked as a teacher at Cooper Union, then at a chemical plant in Brooklyn.

His time in a photography studio during school sparked his interest in chemistry.

Chemical Success Funded His Bigger Dreams

Victor started at Chemical Works in Brooklyn in 1868 along the Gowanus Creek canal. He moved to Pomeroy, Ohio in 1873 to join a salt company on the Ohio River.

In 1875, he started Bloede & Rathbone, making acids and textile chemicals. He created new sun-fast dyes and postage stamp glues, earning about 20 patents.

His Baltimore company grew into a major chemical business.

His Housing Development Needed Power Nobody Would Provide

Victor started the Patapsco Electric and Manufacturing Company in 1906 for his new project. He built a 57-lot housing area called Eden Terrace in Catonsville, Maryland.

This growing suburb sat outside existing power service areas. Local electric companies refused to extend service to these outlying homes.

Victor decided to create his own company to compete with the big electric utilities.

The World’s First Underwater Power Plant Takes Shape

Victor hired engineer Otto Wonder to design something brand new: the world’s first underwater power plant.

The design avoided flooding large areas with reservoirs. The Ambursen company built it using Nils Ambursen’s concrete methods.

This smart solution put the turbines and equipment inside. Construction cost $175,000 for the 220-foot-long, 40-foot-wide dam with a 26. 5-foot water drop.

Cutting-Edge Technology Powered Local Communities

The dam used 34-inch Poole & Hunt Leffel Wheels and two 30-inch 500-horsepower Samson turbines. It made 11,000 volts using the newest electrical gear available.

This plant replaced an older 300-horsepower mill that used a basic water channel and rope system. They added a 200-foot fish ladder so fish could swim upstream.

The plant aimed to compete with big utility companies.

His Daughter Flipped the Switch While Guests Ate Electric Waffles

On November 28, 1908, Victor’s 12-year-old daughter Vida turned on the plant.

About 500 important guests celebrated by eating waffles made from electric waffle makers. The plant sent power to Ellicott City, Catonsville, Carroll, Halethorpe, Arbutus, St. Denis, and Elkridge.

The Maryland Public Service Commission wouldn’t let him compete directly with Consolidated Electric. Victor claimed the big utility tried to force him to sell by undercutting him on street lighting deals.

Mud and Silt Almost Ruined His Revolutionary Design

Water intakes quickly clogged with silt from erosion on the bare hillsides around the river. Trees normally hold soil on steep land, but logging had stripped the area bare.

Muddy river conditions made running the dam hard and costly. The plant needed constant dredging that cost “large sums of money” according to forestry officials.

Victor realized they needed to plant trees in the area to protect his investment.

His Business Problem Created Maryland’s First State Forest

The Patapsco State Forest Reserve started in 1907 specifically to protect Bloede Dam from silt problems.

Russell Sage donated the first 43 acres for a watershed protection program. Tree planting aimed to hold soil and cut down on erosion flowing into the river.

Victor’s business needs matched perfectly with the growing conservation movement among Baltimore’s city leaders.

This linked private business with public environmental protection.

The Dam Stopped Working But Stayed Standing for Decades

The plant kept making electricity until 1924, but silt problems continued despite the new trees. Power generation stopped completely in 1932 due to upkeep costs and ongoing silting issues.

Victor sold the 38-acre property to Maryland on July 22, 1938. The sale contract banned using the land for competing power generation.

The dam became part of the growing Patapsco Valley State Park under state management.

Bloede’s Innovation Finally Came Down in 2018

The dam served as a landmark in Maryland’s most popular state park for decades after it stopped working. Nine deaths occurred near the dam site since the 1980s, creating public safety concerns.

A fish ladder installed in 1992 didn’t work well at restoring historic fish spawning runs. American Rivers led a coalition to remove the dam starting in September 2018 with controlled explosions.

The removal finished in 2019, opening 65 miles of free-flowing habitat and getting rid of the safety hazard.

Visiting Patapsco Valley State Park, Maryland

Patapsco Valley State Park at 8020 Baltimore National Pike in Ellicott City showcases Victor Bloede’s hydroelectric innovation through the Bloede Dam Trail.

You’ll pay $4 per vehicle on weekdays ($2 for Maryland residents) or $5 per person weekends ($3 residents).

The park opens 9am to sunset daily with over 200 miles of trails including the Grist Mill Trail. New bridges cross creeks flowing into the Patapsco River, connecting multiple recreational areas like Avalon, Hollofield, and Daniels.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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