Baltimore Heritage

From its country beginnings as Revolutionary War hero John Eager Howard's estate, the Mount Vernon neighborhood became the place to live in the 19th century for Baltimore's wealthy families and is at the heart of what Mayor Theodore McKeldin called the cradle of American philanthropy. Baltimore Heritage is teaming up with the Maryland Historical Society to explore this theme in a two part walking tour. We’ll start by looking at and discussing a few objects at the Historical Society with one of the Society’s curators and then Baltimore Heritage’s director Johns W. Hopkins will lead a short stroll around Mt. Vernon highlighting the people and places that gave rise to American philanthropy. Among many incredible civic contributions from Mt. Vernon families, we can thank the Mary Elizabeth Garrett of B&O Railroad fortune for Hopkins Medical School, the Walters father and son art collecting team for the Walters Art Museum, Enoch Pratt for the first free lending library in the country, and of course George Peabody for the institute that bears his name. Join us on this tour to learn about some of Baltimore's leading families and the modern philanthropic movement they helped create!