Please join us to trace the industrial history and legacy of the Jones Falls Valley from Mt. Washington to Station North. Nathan Dennies of the Greater Hampden Heritage Alliance will cover the history of the area's factories and villages, and tell the story of the people who lived and worked here—from the grist mills of the late 18th century and the rise and fall of the textile mills in the 19th and 20th centuries, to the smaller manufacturers that took their place and the industries of today that continue the valley's long industrial tradition.

In 1790, the Ridgely family’s Hampton Mansion was the largest house in the United States. Who worked to keep this enormous estate running efficiently? Who labored in the surrounding gardens and, a little farther away, in the lucrative, but treacherous iron furnaces? Join us to hear Gregory Weidman, Curator, Hampton National Historic Site, talk about her recent research as a member of the Hampton Ethnographic Team that worked for three years to uncover and document the lives and families of those enslaved on the Hampton estate.

For more than two centuries and for almost two million people, Baltimore was the destination that promised hope and opportunity--a new life. For this talk, historian Jack Burkert will discuss the realities of immigrating to America. Beginning in the 18th century, and accelerating through the 19th century, immigrants provided the labor force necessary for Baltimore to become an industrial powerhouse. Throughout the 20th century, new arrivals from other parts of America continued to fuel Baltimore’s growth. Who were these people? Where were they from? Why did they leave home? We hope you’ll join us to explore these questions and more at this lecture!