Baltimore Heritage

For over 200 years, Lexington Market’s wooden sheds and concrete stalls have been a gathering place for Baltimoreans. And the market is still evolving! In October 2022, the new Lexington Market opened in a brand new building. On this tour we’ll first explore the surrounding neighborhood to discover how Baltimore emerged as a leading industrial and economic city in the 19th century. Immigration, slavery, commerce and major changes in transportation were all part of the mix here in Baltimore and the country as a whole. We’ll end at the new market to see its wonderful public art and, of course, its merchants (new and old). We hope you'll join Johns Hopkins, Executive Director of Baltimore Heritage, for this tour beginning at 10:30 am. And if you can make it, come early for the dedication of the new History Walk in the market plaza at 10 am! 

Join us for a walk around the Spring Grove Hospital Center campus to see this partially abandoned historic facility where, among other things, the first and longest government-run psychedelic drug research took place in the 1960s. Founded in 1797, it is the second oldest continuously operating psychiatric hospital in the country. On our tour led by Paul Lubell, we’ll see the remnants of the oldest building on campus and industrial structures from the 1930s, plus a barely noticeable cemetery. We’ll end the tour at the Spring Grove Alumni Museum to see artifacts and memorabilia from the institution’s over 200-year history. We hope you’ll join us on October 22!

On October 25, join us for a walk around the Maryland Public Television station in Owings Mills! We will learn all about MPT’s history and view displays of its achievements as Maryland’s only statewide broadcaster. You will get an inside look at current TV technology and visit all three of its studios, including the Irene and Edward H. Kaplan Studio. You can also view the station’s more intimate studios that you may recognize from live pledge events and programming such as State Circle. After the guided tour, the Senior Managing Director of Programming, Kate Pearson, will talk about MPT’s city-centric programs and answer our questions. We hope to see you on October 25!

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.

Join Friends of Patterson Park Director, Jennifer Robinson and Baltimore Heritage Director, Johns Hopkins, to get an intro to the layers of history that lie beneath Baltimore's best back yard! Who is the Patterson in our name, what's the park's connection to Frederick Douglass, what helped the park's renaissance over the last 25 years, and why do we have cannons and an "observatory"? The park's history is fascinating and will add to your appreciation for this jewel of a public space.