Join us for an upcoming heritage tour! We ride bikes, climb scaffolding, and walk up and down hilly streets on our tours of Baltimore’s historic buildings and neighborhoods all across the city. Have a question? Look through our FAQ page. Check out our calendar of events below!

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Western Electric Company’s Point Breeze Plant & the Olmsted Vision (Virtual Talk)

Virtual MD, United States

The Western Electric Company was founded in 1869 and served for more than 100 years as the manufacturing and supply unit of the Bell System. Its business and manufacturing activity skyrocketed from increased telephone use at the beginning of the 1900s. The company selected Baltimore as the site of a new cable and wire manufacturing plant due to its proximity to water and rail transportation. The company purchased land along the Patapsco River Neck from the Canton Company and the River View Amusement Park, with grand plans to develop the site into a large manufacturing campus. To complete a comprehensive plan for the new site at Point Breeze, the company hired the Olmsted Brothers firm. Between 1928 and 1931, the Olmsted Brothers prepared at least 263 drawings, including a comprehensive master plan and detailed landscape plans. Three experts will share their knowledge of this unique collection of buildings and site that was the industrial community to 6,000 workers in its heyday.

By Donation

Mount Vernon Place: A Monumental City Tour

Washington Monument (South Entrance) 699 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD, United States

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. Join us on a tour to hear the stories behind the landmarks of Baltimore’s grandest historic neighborhood.

$10

Women in Maryland Architecture, 1920-1970 (Virtual Talk)

Virtual MD, United States

This presentation will highlight the research and documentation undertaken by EHT Traceries during the preparation of the National Register Multiple Property Documentation Form Women in Maryland Architecture, 1920-1970. Educational and professional opportunities for women architects were limited throughout much of the twentieth century, yet pioneering women contributed significantly to the built environment of Maryland. The struggle of women designers to obtain higher education and parity with men forms part of the broader social history of women’s efforts to achieve greater equality within American society.

By Donation

Out of the Ashes: The Great Baltimore Fire of 1904

The Replica Gaslight 300 E Baltimore St, Baltimore, MD, United States

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 on this walking tour 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.

$10