Join us for a tour inside Clifton Mansion, the unique Italianate country house that has overlooked Baltimore City for over 200 years! At one time the summer home of War of 1812 captain Henry Thompson and then philanthropist Johns Hopkins, the story of Clifton Estate is one about two prominent businessmen, enslaved & free Black people, and more. You’ll see the latest restorations made possible by the Friends of Clifton Mansion and Civic Works. You will also be invited into unrestored spaces that are brimming with stories to tell! And the tour wouldn’t be complete without climbing the tower and taking in one-of-a-kind views of Clifton Park and our surrounding city. We hope to see you there.

Join Baltimore Heritage and The Clifton House team on Monday, January 8th at 5:00pm for an exclusive, behind-the-scenes tour of the historic home of acclaimed poet Lucille Clifton and community activist Fred Clifton. In 1968, the Cliftons moved into this charming house in Baltimore’s picturesque Windsor Hills neighborhood. This house was a hub of creativity, service, and activism, and it was Lucille Clifton’s home when she became Poet Laureate of Maryland in 1979.

In 2019, the Clifton family reclaimed the century-old home and lovingly restored it. Today, The Clifton House provides resources and creative development for historically marginalized people in Baltimore and beyond. With a special focus on Afrodiasporic, women, and gender-nonconforming LGBTQIA+ poets, writers, artists, and creative activists, The Clifton House continues to be a beacon of inspiration and empowerment.

We invite you to be part of this enriching experience and learn about the remarkable Clifton family and the legacy of this historic West Baltimore home.

Join us for a tour of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, also called the Baltimore Basilica. Built primarily between 1806 and 1821, the Baltimore Basilica was the first Cathedral built in the United States.  Bishop John Carroll, America’s first Bishop and a cousin of Charles Carroll of Declaration of Independence signing fame, was lucky to connect with architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe, who volunteered his architectural services and was to later achieve the moniker “Father of American Architecture.”

Inherited from the great Baltimore historian Wayne Schaumburg, join Baltimore Heritage to tour Baltimore’s historic Green Mount Cemetery.

Opened in 1839, Green Mount is an early example of an urban-rural cemetery, that is, a cemetery with a park-like setting located close to the countryside. Green Mount is the final resting place of some of Maryland’s most famous, and infamous, figures including Johns Hopkins, Enoch Pratt, William and Henry Walters, Mary Elizabeth Garrett, Betsy Patterson, A.S. Abell, John H. B. Latrobe, John Wilkes Booth, and Elijah Bond, who patented the Ouija Board!

Accessibility: Although there are some paved pathways, we will be walking over mostly uneven grassy terrain and cobblestones.