Episode 63: Lillian Ann Baumbach
Lillian was the first woman to be a master plumber in the United States. Born into a family of plumbers; her dad was W.J. Baumbach, founder of the company W.J. Baumbach Plumbing and Heating. She supposedly was fixing shower drains since she was two years old. At the age of 12, Lillian got her first plumber's tool kit and became her father’s apprentice, and was employed by the WJ Baumbach company. And when I say she was employed as an apprentice, I mean it. She went with her dad to all sorts of jobs… you have a plumbing emergency, she’s there. So Lillian worked her butt off and as time went on she started climbing up that plumber ladder. She became a journeyman, then a service manager, and then at 21 years old she officially became the first woman licensed Master Plumber in the United States. She made the national news, it was a big deal. Everyone all over the country knew of her, they started calling her the Pretty Plumber, cause she happened to be very pretty. In the midst of all the publicity, Lillian found love, in not such a hopeless place. In 1948 she met George William Jacobs. Three years later on September 12, 1951, they were married. She and William had two kids, Wendy Joy and Lydia Anne Jacobs. In 1989 at the age of 59, she was like I think it's time to rest and she retired to Smithfield, North Carolina. Lillian passed away on January 31st, 2000 from Leukemia.
Caryatid: Megan Weston-Jesso
Megan Weston-Jesso is a plumbing apprentice in Canada. She is passionate about educating the public about all things plumbing. Megan stood out to me because of her mission to raise awareness on water quality. The Ontario Building and Construction Tradeswomen Organization featured her in their series WorkingTradeswomenWednesday, shining a light on her work and her path. On the feature, Megan said, "I gave plumbing a chance and honestly it has been the best decision because there are endless opportunities in this field.” Megan is very active on social media, you can find her and follow her on Instagram as @waterplumbergirl.
Thank you to Darci Spiteri @Sparks_to_Sparkles for suggesting this caryatid.
References
A & W Plumbing and Heating, Inc. “Taking a Look Back in History at Female Plumbers.” A & W Plumbing and Heating, Inc., 9 Mar. 2021, www.awplumbingil.com/press-releases/history-of-female-plumbers.
Binkovitz, Leah. “How Did a Group of Plumbers’ Wives Change American History?” Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Mar. 2013, www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/how-did-a-group-of-plumbers-wives-change-american-history-5832186.
“International Women’s Day: Lillian Baumbach, the USA’s First Female Master Plumber.” PASS, www.tester.co.uk/blog/gas-hvac-plumbing/international-womens-day-lillian-baumbach-the-usas-first-female-master-plumber. Accessed 23 Nov. 2022.
Pictures of Lillian. www.baumbach.com/history/PicturesOfLillian.htm.
Plumbing, A. “About Lillian Ann Baumbach - the First Woman Master Plumber.” AM PM Plumbing, 25 Mar. 2021, www.ampmplumbingopen.com/press-releases/about-lillian-ann-baumbach-the-first-woman-master-plumber.
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