Baltimore Heritage

Historic Clifton Mansion
2022-11-19 10:00 - 11:00, 2022-08-20 10:00 - 11:00, 2022-06-18 10:00 - 11:00, 2022-05-14 10:00 - 11:00, 2022-04-02 10:00 - 11:00 (America/New_York) | Clifton Mansion, 2701 Saint Lo Drive, Baltimore, MD, 21218, United States
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!

Historic Green Mount Cemetery
2022-11-05 09:30 - 11:30, 2022-10-01 09:30 - 11:30, 2022-09-17 09:30 - 11:30 | Green Mount Cemetery, 1501 Greenmount Ave, Baltimore, MD, 21202, United States
Baltimore Heritage has inherited the Green Mount Cemetery tour from the great Baltimore historian Wayne Schaumburg and we invite you to join us. 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, A. Aubrey Bodine, John Wilkes Booth, and Elijah Bond, who patented the Ouija Board! Join us to tour Baltimore’s historic Green Mount Cemetery.

Jonestown & the Shot Tower: A Walking Tour
2022-10-29 10:00 - 11:00 | Carroll Mansion, 800 Lombard Street, Baltimore, MD, 21202, United States
Jonestown is Baltimore’s oldest and most historic neighborhood. Both groundbreaking industry and vibrant communities have thrived here. On this tour, we will see the vestiges of its Eastern European Jewish residents as we pass Corned Beef Row. We hope you’ll join Baltimore Heritage and tour guide Bev Rosen as we stroll past a series of firsts: the McKim Free School, the city’s oldest education building from 1833, the Lloyd Street Synagogue, the first synagogue in Maryland and the third oldest in the country, the 1808 home of Charles Carroll, the longest living signer of the Declaration of Independence, and the Hendler Creamery, the nation’s first fully-automated ice cream manufacturing plant. And of course, what is a visit to Jonestown without a look inside the iconic Phoenix Shot Tower, which until 1846 was the tallest building in the country!

Historic Green Mount Cemetery
2022-10-08 09:30 - 11:30 | Green Mount Cemetery, 1501 Greenmount Ave, Baltimore, MD, 21202, United States
Rescheduled to October 8 to not conflict with the Baltimore Running Festival.

Baltimore Heritage has inherited the Green Mount Cemetery tour from the great Baltimore historian Wayne Schaumburg and we invite you to join us. 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, A. Aubrey Bodine, John Wilkes Booth, and Elijah Bond, who patented the Ouija Board! Join us to tour Baltimore’s historic Green Mount Cemetery.

Woodberry Walking Tour
2022-09-24 10:30 - 12:00 | Outside of Woodberry Kitchen, 2010 Clipper Park Rd., Baltimore, MD, 21211, United States
Join Baltimore Heritage, the Baltimore Museum of Industry and the Ivy Bookshop for a walking tour of historic Woodberry, once home to the largest machine shop and iron works in the country, with Jones Falls historian Nathan Dennies. Discover how the site of the Poole & Hunt Machine Shop and Iron Works has changed over its 150-year history and meet artisans working in the metal industry today. After the tour, participants are invited to gather at Pariah Brewing for a social hour where they have the opportunity to purchase “The Metalworkers: A History of Robert Poole and his Ironworks in 19th-Century America,” by Steven C. Swett.

This tour is part of the BMI’s “Metalworkers in Maryland” program series, which seeks to explore the history of metal industries in Baltimore and beyond by focusing on the workers who powered it.

Historic Clifton Mansion
2022-09-17 09:30 - 10:30 | Clifton Mansion, 2701 Saint Lo Drive, Baltimore, MD, 21218, United States
Please note this September 17 tour now starts at 9:30 am

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!

Jonestown & the Shot Tower: A Walking Tour
2022-06-18 10:00 - 11:00 | Carroll Mansion, 800 Lombard Street, Baltimore, MD, 21202, United States
Originating in 1661, Jonestown is Baltimore’s oldest and most historic neighborhood. Both groundbreaking industry and vibrant communities have thrived here. On this tour, we will see the vestiges of its Eastern European Jewish residents as we pass Corned Beef Row. We hope you’ll join Baltimore Heritage and tour guide Bev Rosen as we stroll past a series of firsts: the McKim Free School, the city’s oldest education building from 1833, the Lloyd Street Synagogue, the first synagogue in Maryland and the third oldest in the country, the 1808 home of Charles Carroll, the longest living signer of the Declaration of Independence, and the Hendler Creamery, the nation’s first fully-automated ice cream manufacturing plant. And of course, what is a visit to Jonestown without a look inside the iconic Phoenix Shot Tower, which until 1846 was the tallest building in the country!

Historic Green Mount Cemetery
2022-06-04 09:30 - 11:30, 2022-05-21 09:30 - 11:30, 2022-04-23 09:30 - 11:30, 2022-04-09 09:30 - 11:30 | Green Mount Cemetery, 1501 Greenmount Ave, Baltimore, MD, 21202, United States
After 30 years without a break, Baltimore historian Wayne Schaumburg is taking the year off and he has kindly shared his tour notes with us. Join Baltimore Heritage and tour guide Tim Fabiszak 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, A. Aubrey Bodine, John Wilkes Booth, and Elijah Bond, who patented the Ouija Board! Join Baltimore Heritage and tour guide Tim Fabiszak to tour Baltimore’s historic Green Mount Cemetery.

Historic Irvington
2022-05-21 10:00 - 11:00 | 240 S. Monastery Ave, Baltimore, MD 21229, Baltimore, MD, United States
Join us to discover the past, present and future of Irvington, a leafy neighborhood nestled in Southwest Baltimore! Located on the old National Road and developed in 1874, this historic neighborhood is dotted with sublime pocket parks, peaceful gardens and vibrant murals created by the non-profit Cooperative Community Development Inc Group (the Cooperative). On this walk Johnny D. Martin, Board President of the Cooperative, and Baltimore Heritage’s Executive Director Johns Hopkins will take us back through Irvington’s history and showcase its bright future!

The Maryland Zoo's Main Valley: A Walk Through History
2021-12-04 10:00 - 11:00 | The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, 1 Safari Place, Baltimore, MD, 21217, United States
Join us for a special walking tour of the Maryland Zoo’s newly reopened historic Main Valley. Kirby Fowler, president of the Maryland Zoo, and Tony Azola, the restoration contractor who helped restore the Main Valley, will lead us as we explore the Zoo’s oldest section, which dates back to the 19th century. The Main Valley was closed to the public in 2004 and it served as the “back of house” for employees, while the antiquated cages became overgrown with vines and trees. The Zoo has just reopened the Main Valley as a walking path for guests, providing unique opportunities to learn more about the history of the Zoo and several of its historic landmarks, including iron-barred cages and other structures built when the Rogers Mansion was still a private residence. We hope you’ll join us to experience a walk through the past, which will showcase how far zoological organizations have come from menageries of exotic creatures to conservation centers for endangered species!
Due to Covid precautions, we are limiting space more than usual. All participants will be required to wear face masks and socially distance during the tour.

Old St. Paul’s Cemetery Tour: A Peek Behind the Stone Walls
2021-10-30 11:00 - 12:00 | Old St. Paul’s Cemetery, 733 W. Redwood St, Baltimore, MD, 21201, United States
Old St. Paul’s Cemetery’s list of the interred reads like the Who’s Who of the War of 1812 – Samuel Chase, George Armistead, John Eager Howard to name a few. Even Francis Scott Key spent part of his afterlife in the cemetery buried in the Howard crypt until he was moved to Frederick. Founded around 1799, Old St. Paul’s is one of the oldest cemeteries in Baltimore City and is on the registry of National Historic Places. Not regularly open to the public, come with us to peek behind its large stone walls and see the final resting places of those who helped shape this city.
Due to Covid precautions, we are limiting space more than usual. All participants will be required to wear face masks and socially distance during the tour.

Historic Green Mount Cemetery
2021-10-16 09:30 - 11:30, 2021-10-02 09:30 - 11:30, 2021-09-25 09:30 - 11:30, 2021-09-11 09:30 - 11:30 | Green Mount Cemetery, 1501 Greenmount Ave, Baltimore, MD, 21202, United States
After 30 years without a break, Baltimore historian Wayne Schaumburg is finally taking a year off and he has kindly shared his tour notes with us. Join Baltimore Heritage and tour guide Tim Fabiszak 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, A. Aubrey Bodine, John Wilkes Booth, and Elijah Bond, who patented the Ouija Board!
Due to Covid precautions, we are limiting space more than usual. All participants will be required to wear face masks and socially distance during the tour.

“Life Goes On:” The Legacy of Henrietta Lacks and Turner Station
2021-09-18 09:30 - 22:30 | Sollers Point Multi-Purpose Center, 323 Sollers Point Road, Dundalk, MD, 21222, United States
Don’t know who Henrietta Lacks was? Most of the world didn’t until about ten years ago. Mrs. Lacks is best recognized for her immortal cells, which scientists and doctors still use today to study the effects of toxins, drugs, hormones and viruses on people without experimenting on humans. Her cells helped create the HPV and polio vaccines. Yet it took some twenty-five years before the Lacks family received any knowledge of the important contribution of their beloved wife and mother. Please join us and the Henrietta Lacks Legacy Group for a walking tour of Turner Station in Dundalk, the last home of Henrietta Lacks, to hear about Henrietta, her family, and her life in Turner Station.
In 1951, Mrs. Lacks went to Johns Hopkins Hospital for treatment of cervical cancer. Without informing Mrs. Lacks, Hopkins doctors noticed that the removed cancer cells continued to grow in the lab. This marked the first instance of continuous growth of human cells outside the body. Henrietta died on October 4, 1951 from her cancer. She was 31 years old.
Doctors named her cells HeLa (from the first letters of her first and last names) and, without Lacks family approval, began sending them to laboratories around the world for research. Mrs. Lacks’ story weaves together important ethical and racial issues of the medical industrial complex, segregation, and the polarized economy of Baltimore. We are honored to be partnering with the Henrietta Lacks Legacy Group for this tour. Join guide Servant Speed as we walk through Henrietta’s Turner Station community and learn about her incredible story.
Due to Covid precautions, we are limiting space more than usual. All participants will be required to wear face masks and socially distance during the tour.

Want to learn more about Henrietta Lacks?
The Double-Edged Helix” in Rolling Stone Magazine
“The Miracle of HeLa” in Ebony Magazine
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

Mount Vernon Place: Walking on Charles Street!
2021-05-22 14:00 - 15:00 | Hotel Revival, 101 W Monument St, Baltimore, MD, 21201
Baltimore is kicking cars off of portions of Charles Street for a day, and we’re taking advantage of it! On Saturday, May 22, only pedestrians and bicycles will be allowed on a good portion of Charles Street between Saratoga and North Avenue as part of the Charles Street Promenade. Join us on a tour to hear the stories behind the Washington Monument and see the landmarks of Baltimore’s grandest historic neighborhood. Mount Vernon began as a country estate for Revolutionary War hero John Eager Howard and grew to be the place to live for Baltimore’s rich and famous in the mid-nineteenth century. The Garrett family, owners of the B&O Railroad, the Walters, founders of the Walters Art Museum, and the Thomases, owners of Mercantile Bank, are among the families that built handsome mansions along the four parks that surround the Washington Monument.

Space is extremely limited due to Covid 19 and because we are traveling in a group, face masks are required.

Walking in the Middle of the Street: 150 Years of History and Sculpture Along Charles Street
2021-05-22 10:00 - 11:00 | Hansa House, 11 South Charles Street, Baltimore, MD, 21201, United States
Baltimore is kicking cars off of portions of Charles Street for a day, and we’re taking advantage of it! On Saturday, May 22, only pedestrians and bicycles will be allowed on a good portion of Charles Street between Saratoga and North Avenue as part of the Charles Street Promenade. Join Baltimore Heritage’s Executive Director, Johns Hopkins, on a stroll down the middle of the street to get a perspective that we normally don’t get–views of some of the city’s most interesting historic buildings. We’ll talk about 100 year-old statues that are a spitting image of Bill Clinton, a German spy ring during World War I, some of Baltimore’s only nude statuary, and the lasting impact of the 1904 Fire… and that’s before we even get past Saratoga!
Space is extremely limited due to Covid 19 and because we are traveling in a group, face masks are required.

Historic Green Mount Cemetery
2021-05-15 09:30 - 11:30, 2021-05-01 09:30 - 11:30, 2021-04-17 09:30 - 11:30 | Green Mount Cemetery, 1501 Greenmount Ave, Baltimore, MD, 21202, United States
Event Full

After 30 years without a break, Baltimore historian Wayne Schaumburg is finally taking a spring off and he has kindly shared his tour notes with us. Join Baltimore Heritage and tour guide Tim Fabiszak 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, A. Aubrey Bodine, John Wilkes Booth, and Elijah Bond, who patented the Ouija Board!
Due to Covid precautions, we are limiting space more than usual. All participants will be required to wear face masks and socially distance during the tour.
