Bloede Dam: Don’t forget Catonsville pioneer

In discussing the demolition of the obsolete Bloede Dam on the Patapsco, it is worth mentioning that it was built by Victor Gustav Bloede (1849-1937), a pioneering chemist, industrialist, philanthropist and Catonsville resident (“After a century on the Patapsco River, Bloede Dam’s removal set to begin with a blast,” Sept. 5).

The dam, an engineering marvel when it was built, was an element of Mr. Bloede’s effort to provide electricity, trolley service, water supply, real-estate development and banking facilities to the Catonsville area. The dam may be a nuisance now, but he was an outstanding founding father of his section of Baltimore County in his own era.