From Toll Road to Main Street
Waverly | April 23, 10 AM to 12 PM
From its earliest days as a Susquehannock foot path to its growth as a turnpike used by Quaker settlers in the early 1700s, and its flourishing days for the street car and then automobile, York Road has been a busy place in Baltimore. The community that grew around it, first called Friendship, developed in earnest at the end of the 19th century and was annexed to Baltimore City in 1888. Please join us and our tour guide, Joe Stewart, Waverly historian and community association member, on a tour of this reviving area that will include a peek at some secret gardens, old country lanes, and the transformational use of older buildings.
Meet at the southwest corner of the Waverly Farmers Market, 32nd St. and Barclay St. Park on the street.
Arts, Culture, and History
Station North | April 30, 10 AM to 12 PM
With historic Penn Station and the National Register historic neighborhoods of Charles North and Greenmount West as anchors, the Station North Arts and Entertainment District is one of Baltimore’s most rapidly revitalizing areas. Populated with young artists, newcomers, and long standing residents, the area is utilizing historic rowhouses and former industrial spaces to create funky galleries, artist live-work studios, and new businesses. Please join us and our tour guide, Charlie Duff of Jubilee Baltimore, on a walking tour to explore this rich and eclectic area of Baltimore.
Meet at the front entrance to Penn Station. Park on the street.
W.E.B. De Bois & More
Morgan Park | May 7, 10 AM to 12 PM
Developed beginning in 1917 for faculty at Morgan College, who at the time were barred from living in nearby communities that had racial covenants against African Americans, Morgan Park is a tight-knit community of 150 houses. These include the Morgan University President’s house, the house of Afro-American editor and civil rights activist Dr. Carl. J. Murphy, and the primary residence of the intellectual leader W.E.B. Du Bois. Please join Morgan State University architecture professor Dale Green on a tour of this most unusual and engaging neighborhood.
Meet at the Morgan State University Student Center Theater, 1700 East Cold Spring Lane. Park in the campus visitors lot accessed from Cold Spring Lane.
Historic Squares and Bioswales: Preservation & Environmental Restoration
Franklin Sq. | May 14, 10 AM to 12 PM
Franklin Square developed in the mid 19th century at the end of the horse-drawn omnibus streetcar system and is one of the city’s oldest public squares. With elegant Waverly Terrace (c. 1850) and stately rowhouses surrounding the Square and throughout the neighborhood, Franklin Square is one of West Baltimore’s hidden gems. It is also on the front lines for advanced urban environmental restoration work led by the Parks and People Foundation, including the installation of bioswales to prevent storm runoff, replacing blacktop with native vegetation, and making public park improvements. Join Bryant Smith from the Parks and People Foundation and Eli Pousson from Baltimore Heritage on a tour of this historic and greening West Baltimore community.
Meet at the northeast corner of Franklin Square at West Lexington and North Carey Streets. Park on the street.
Farming Village Turned Country in the City
Lauraville | May 21, 10 AM to 12 PM
Becoming an “official village” in 1851, Lauraville’s rural roots can still be seen in its tree lined streets and charming old homes that date from the Civil War to the 1920’s. The community still centers around Herring Run and the park that now surrounds it, as it had in the 18th Century when the area got its start with farms and a grist mill. The neighborhood is thriving today with restored historic houses and businesses and an innovative urban agriculture program called the Hamilton Crop Circle that provides residents and restaurants with produce grown in the neighborhood by community volunteers. Please join us and our tour guides, Lynne Adams and Jim McAllen from the Lauraville neighborhood association, on a stroll of this charming neighborhood, including historic ruins, a one-room school house, and of course the community garden.
Meet in the vacant lot across from the Safeway at 4401 Harford Road. Park near Harford Road in the Safeway lot.