Baltimore Heritage

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!”

Please join us for a walking tour of Turner Station, Dundalk, the last home of Henrietta Lacks. Don’t know who Henrietta Lacks was? Most of the world didn’t until about ten years ago. Lacks is best recognized for her immortal cells, which have transformed modern medicine. Yet, it took some twenty-five years before the Lacks family received any knowledge of the immortal contribution their beloved wife and mother was making to medical science. Join guides Servant Speed and Adele Newson-Horst as we walk through Henrietta’s Turner Station community and learn about her incredible story.

On July 23, join Baltimore Heritage for an art walk & talk in Belair-Edison with artist, curator, and community organizer Christina Delgado! The tour will include a history of community art projects along Belair-Edison’s Main Street and sections of Herring Run Park. We’ll also talk a little about the history of the neighborhood, which was once known as Georgetown. The tour will end at Tola’s Room, a Puerto Rican home museum & culture space, with delicious empanadas by Cane de Sucre. The only Puerto Rican culture hub in Baltimore City, the museum designed by Delgado draws on personal cultural perspective, displaying a passion and pride for identity in family and homeplace. We can’t wait to walk around Belair-Edison with you to discover its past, present and future!