Timothy Leary’s got nothing on Baltimore! 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 program took place. Founded in 1797, it is the second oldest continuously operating psychiatric hospital in the country. On our tour we’ll see the remnants of the oldest building on campus and industrial structures from the 1930s, plus a barely noticeable cemetery. Walk through three centuries of history that weaves together tales of yellow fever epidemic, Confederate traitors, and psychedelic scandal. Groovy.
If you explore the Baltimore School for the Arts on Cathedral Street you’ll find more than young talented artists. The school’s two main buildings—the former Alcazar Hotel and the Graham House—are full of fascinating Baltimore history. Please join us on Saturday, March 16 for a tour of the buildings (and a sneak peak at rehearsals with some of the school’s talented performing artists).
On Wednesday, March 20, we’re returning to G. Krug & Son Ironworks for a tour of the nation’s oldest iron-working shop. Our tour will be led by Mr. Peter Krug, part of the fifth generation of Krugs to operate the business, who will show off some of the fantastic decorative iron pieces made here in Baltimore over the past two hundred years.
I hope you can join us at some of these events in March, and stay tuned for an announcement shortly on our 2019 Baltimore By Foot neighborhood walking tours.
Hang on to your hats and fight back the February “blahs” by coming out for one of our upcoming talks and tours. On Sunday, February 10, we’re teaming up with the Jewish Museum of Maryland to offer a ”two-fer” tour of historic synagogues. We’ll start with a walk through the 174-year-old Lloyd Street Synagogue (the third oldest synagogue in the country!) and then head down the block to visit the ornately-detailed B’Nai Israel which maintained the Jewish community presence in East Baltimore since the 1870s.
On Sunday, February 17, we’re bringing back Jamie Hunt’s popular Mount Vernon Love Stories walking tours. Starting at the Marburg Mansion on Mount Vernon Place, this walk covers two centuries of celebrity gossip, intrigue, and off-beat love lives from John Eager Howard in the 1780s to Jada Pinkett Smith in the 1990. We are offering the same tour in the morning at 11:00 am and the afternoon at 1:00 pm so sign up for the time that works for you.
On Sunday, February 3, we’re planning a warm welcome at the Engineers Club for everyone who wants to hear historian Wayne Schaumburg tell the story of the Great Baltimore Fire of 1904. And, finally, we still have a few tickets left for our Saturday, February 9 tour of legacy businesses and catacombs at Lexington Market.
To borrow from the endlessly popular World War II-era British slogan Keep Calm and Carry On, we’ll end by saying, Keep Warm and Tour On!
As we head into December, all of us at Baltimore Heritage want to wish you a happy holiday season. We also hope you can join us on our final tours and talks of 2018. What better December treat than to take a loved on a heritage tour?
In what has now become a December tradition for us, we’ve lined up a great tour for everyone who stays in town between Christmas and the beginning of the new year. On Thursday, December 27, we’re heading to the Museum of Baltimore Legal History in what has been called the most beautiful courtroom in Maryland, the former Orphan Court of Baltimore City in the Clarence Mitchell Courthouse. Take advantage the the light traffic downtown and join us for a walk through this hidden gem!
If you haven’t come along already, don’t miss the year’s final Lexington Market Catacombs tour this Saturday, December 8, 2018. And this Sunday afternoon the voice of WYPR’s Your Maryland, Ric Cottom, will share stories from his book: Little-Known Histories from the Shores of the Chesapeake to the Foothills of the Allegheny Mountains.
Finally, if you haven’t yet renewed your membership with Baltimore Heritage, we are still looking for your support. With discounts on tours and talks for the coming year, becoming a member is a great way to explore Baltimore throughout the year. Membership gifts make fabulous holiday presents as well!
We at Baltimore Heritage are deeply saddened by the recent racist and anti-Semitic attacks in Kentucky and Pittsburgh, and we stand in solidarity with those most impacted by last week’s horrific attacks. As we work to build community around historic places here in Baltimore, we want to affirm that people of all backgrounds and identities are welcome at Baltimore Heritage events and continue to ensure that our programs celebrate the diversity of people and cultures that make our city’s heritage so rich.
We also hope that you can continue to come out for this fall’s tours and talks to spend time with neighbors learning about our shared past—and helping us all grow together.
Join us for tours exploring immigration, horseradish, and Mount Vernon pride
The following week, we’ve got more great events celebrating the city’s history and diversity. If you’ve ever wondered how Baltimore’s Tulkoffs horseradish factory makes its divinely spicy sauces, join us for a tour on Friday November 9: Tulkoff Factory Tour: Making Horseradish in Baltimore for Three Generations. And on Saturday, November 10, we will explore LGBT heritage with Mount Vernon Pride: LGBTQ Heritage Walking Tour. Did you know that some of Baltimore’s LGBTQ pioneers helped launch the Johns Hopkins Medical School, helped make Mt. Vernon Place the gem that it is today, and helped create one of the greatest collections of Impressionist artwork in the country at the Baltimore Museum of Art?
We wish you a healthy and happy fall and we hope you can join us soon.
