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May 2020
The Catacombs Under Westminster: Two Hundred Years of Tombs and Edgar Allan Poe’s Gravesite
Join us to explore the eerie catacombs underneath Baltimore’s First Presbyterian Church, now called Westminster Hall, and the graves that surround it, including the final resting place of Edgar Allan Poe. The burial ground predates the church, which was built on arches above the gravesites, so that the graveyard and its tombstones lie both underneath and around the building. We bet you will also recognize more than a few Baltimore street names as we walk among the patriots and civic leaders buried at Westminster including Calhoun, Hollins, Gilmore, and Bentalou. All told, the compact cemetery next to the University of Maryland School of Law is the final resting place for over 1,000 individuals. We can’t wait to see you "Where Baltimore's History Rests in Peace!"
Find out more »How to Read a Rowhouse: Colonial Architecture in Fell’s Point
When you look down Thames Street and smile at how “old-timey” it looks, what are you really looking at? Join architect David Gleason, president of the Fell’s Point Preservation Society, on a walk through the aged neighborhood to learn how to read historic buildings and uncover their unique histories. These houses and businesses have been reinvented and repurposed over 250 years in order to meet the changing economy of Baltimore--what can they tell us about those who lived and worked in Fell’s Point? Join us to “excavate” structures by exploring the layers of construction and change--you never know what you might discover hiding behind the facade!
Find out more »Out of the Ashes: The Great Baltimore Fire of 1904
In February 1904, Baltimore’s chief firefighter cabled Washington DC: “Desperate fire here. Must have help at once!” A tremendous fire was sweeping through downtown and showed little signs of stopping. Not until 5:00 p.m. the next day was the fire brought under control. Overall, it destroyed 1500 buildings, left 35,000 people unemployed, and damaged $150 million of property. Resilient Baltimore rebounded quickly, erecting new buildings, widening streets, and improving fire safety designs. Rising out of the ashes, Baltimore used the fire to rethink the city, and the downtown we know today is shaped largely by this incident. Join us as we see what 2500 degrees Fahrenheit heat can do to blocks of solid stone, learn how the fire shaped architecture locally and across the country, and hear the tale of one of the fire’s great heroes: Goliath the horse.
Find out more »Old St. Paul’s Cemetery Tour: A Peek Behind the Stone Walls
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.
Find out more »The Industrial Valley: A Lecture on 200 Years of Manufacturing on the Jones Falls
Please join us to trace the industrial history and legacy of the Jones Falls Valley from Mt. Washington to Station North. Nathan Dennies of the Greater Hampden Heritage Alliance will cover the history of the area's factories and villages, and tell the story of the people who lived and worked here—from the grist mills of the late 18th century and the rise and fall of the textile mills in the 19th and 20th centuries, to the smaller manufacturers that took their place and the industries of today that continue the valley's long industrial tradition.
Find out more »Stone and Spirit: The Original Campus of Goucher College
While Rev. John Goucher was overseeing the building of today's Lovely Lane United Methodist Church in the mid-1880s, he was also helping establish a college for women to give them “equal advantages in the business of life.” Join Marilyn Warshawsky, author of John Franklin Goucher: Citizen of the World and a trustee emerita of the College, at Lovely Lane for a tour of this historic church, a presentation of archival photos of original college buildings, and a walking tour of the campus that is now part of the diverse community known as Old Goucher.
Find out more »Catacombs, 100-Year Vendors and History at Lexington Market
If you haven’t been to Lexington market in a while, or even if you’re a regular there, we hope you’ll join us on a tour of this iconic Baltimore place to learn about recent changes and plans for the future of the market. On the tour, we will talk with the owners of Faidley’s, Berger’s, and other vendors that have been in their stalls for 100 years or more. We will also go down and explore the catacombs under the marketplace, getting a first-hand look at these mysterious spaces that are normally closed to the public.
Find out more »Brewers Hill by Foot: The Architecture of Brewing Beer
Today’s Brewers Hill neighborhood centers on the rehabilitated Gunther Brewery and National Brewery complexes. The breweries were home to the Gunther, Shaefer, Hamm, and of course Natty Boh labels, and was where the nation’s first “six pack” was invented in the 1940s. The 27 acre brewery site is surrounded by the Brewers Hill neighborhood, which developed between 1915 and 1920 and is replete with rows of brick homes and marble steps. Join David Knipp, a project manager for the redevelopment of the Brewers Hill complex, on a tour of the brewery site in all of its beer-making glory and current buzz of activity.
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