Baltimore Heritage

Did you know there is a ship graveyard in Baltimore’s Curtis Creek? Join us for a talk by Maryland’s State Underwater Archaeologist, Dr. Susan Langley, to discover the submerged and hidden vessels off of Hawkins Point! Although known mostly as the home of the U.S. Coast Guard since 1897, the bustling waterfront industries of Curtis Bay and Creek have long included shipyards and other maritime businesses. So it's not unusual that these waters contain a disproportionate number of scrapped and abandoned vessels. What is surprising is the nature and histories of many of these watercraft, which include mid-19th century schooners to the last passenger steamers operating as recently as 1963.

This talk will consider how an international design movement, Art Deco, found its way into Baltimore during the 1920s and '30s. Fueled by a robust manufacturing sector, the city became fertile ground for a wide-ranging architecture that mixed freely with the prevailing design trends of the day (albeit leaning toward the traditional); an important representative of America’s major industrial cities in the interwar years. Lesser-known examples of Baltimore Deco will be shared, and the talk will also highlight a few optimistic building projects undertaken in the midst of the Great Depression.

Laurel Cemetery was incorporated in 1852 as Baltimore’s first nondenominational cemetery for African Americans. It quickly became a popular place of burial for people across Black Baltimore’s socioeconomic spectrum, including 230 Black Civil War veterans and notables such as Civil Rights activist Reverend Harvey Johnson. In 1958 and after a series of lawsuits failed to prevail in the courts, Laurel Cemetery was leveled. Today it is the site of the Belair-Edison Crossing Shopping Center, and home to several businesses. However, many current patrons and nearby residents have no knowledge of the site’s former purpose and significance. Join Dr. Isaac Shearn of the Laurel Cemetery Memorial Project to learn more about the important history of the site and how we can preserve its memory.