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SPRING COURSES ON BALTIMORE HISTORY AND ARCHITECTURE
See the link on the left side for courses
being offered by:
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Roland Park Country School Kaleidoscope Program
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OSHER Lifelong Learning Institute at Towson University
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Johns Hopkins Odyssey Program
Irish Railroad Workers Museum - Second Saturdays
Saturday, February 11th, 11:30
a.m. in the museum located at 920 Lemon Street -- Historian Edward Heimiller will give an illustrated talk
on the Winans family with special emphasis on the family estate called "Crimea" located on Windsor Mill Road just east
of Forest Park Avenue. Ross Winans came from New Jersey and was the engineer who designed much of the early equipment
for the B&O Railroad. His two sons Thomas and William were hired by Czar Nicholas I and built Russia's first railroad in
the 1850s. Upon returning to Baltimore, Thomas built two mansions. "Alexandrofsky" was located just east of Hollins and
Poppleton Streets. His country house, "Orianda," was part of the Crimea estate, and will be the focus of Heimiller's
talk. Today the house is part of Leakin Park and is owned by Baltimore City. The program on February 11th
is free and open to the public and includes a tour of the Irish Museum. Donations, of course,
are always welcomed. The Irish Railroad Museum is located just one-half block north of the B&O
Railroad Museum. For more information, call 410-669-8154.
Garrett-Jacobs Mansion Lecture Series
"The Golden Age Elegance of Baltimore at the Garrett-Jacobs
Mansion" -- Sundays at 2 p.m. $
Reservations are required. An optional brunch at the mansion is also available. For more information, call
Dale Whitehead at 410-539-6914
ext. 106. The Garrett Jacobs Mansion is located at 11 West Mt. Vernon Place.
Pasadena Senior Center -- Black History Month Talk
Wednesday, February 15th, 10 a.m. in the
Pasadena Senior Center located at 4103 Mountain Road in Anne Arundel County. Baltimore historian and educator Wayne R. Schaumburg
will present an illustrated talk entitled "Baltimore's African American Heritage." From Baltimore's beginning, African Americans
have played a major role in the history of our city, state, and nation. Whether it be portrait painter Joshua Johnson, abolitionist
Frederick Douglass, poet Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, professional boxer Joe Gans, performer Cab Calloway or businessman
Reginald Lewis, Baltimore is rich in black history tradition. The program is free and open to the
public. For more information, call 410-222-0030.
Black History Month Talk
Wednesday, February 15th, 1 p.m. in the Pikesville Library located at 1301 Resiterstown Road. African American historian and
author Louis Diggs will present an illustrated talk on his work dealing with African American communities in Baltimore
County. Louis has written 8 books of various black communities in the county. To learn more about him, visit www.louisdiggs.com. The program is free and open to the public. For more information, call 410-887-1234.
Baltimore History Evenings at the Village Learning Place
Sponsored by the Baltimore City Historical Society,
this is the fourth year for the free lecture series that takes place in the Village Learning Center
located at 2521 St. Paul Street. The programs take place on the third Thursday of each month, from January
to June. There is a reception at 7 p.m. followed by the presentation at 7:30. This year's topics
include:
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February 16th: "Mapping
Baybrook: Environmental Justice in Industrial South Baltimore" by Dr. Nicole King
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March 15th: "The 'Invasion'
of a Northwest Baltimore Suburb: Suburbanization, Restrictive Covenants and Property Rights " (in Ashburton) by Eric M. Daniel
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April 19th: "Invest
in Baltimore: Baltimore Business History Through Banknotes and Stock Certificates" by Russ Sears
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May 17th: The Annual
Grace Darin Lecture to be given by Sun writer and Baltimore historian Jacques Kelly
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June 21st: "The
Rise and Fall of Hutzler's" by author Michael J. Lisicky
Maryland Historical Society - Seen
& Heard: Maryland's Civil Rights Era in Photographs and Oral Histories
Thursday, February 23rd, at
6 p.m. Making use of the Paul Henderson Photograph Collection and the McKeldin-Jackson
Oral History Project, a panel including Dr. Larry Gibson (University of Maryland Law School), Dr. Helena Hicks ( CHAP
commissioner), Dr. Barry Lanman (UMBC), Dr. Michelle Scott (UMBC), and William Zorzi (Baltimore Sun writer and editor)
will discuss their personal experiences and expertise as they relate to the civil rights struggle in Maryland. Photographs,
manuscripts, and ephemera will be on display. The program is free and open to the public.
The Maryland Historical Society is located at 201 W. Monument Street. For more information, visit www.mdhs.org.
Brown Bag lecture Series on Baltimore's History
and Its Personalities
Selected Fridays in February, March, and April
from Noon to 1 p.m. in the Board of Estimates Room of City Hall. The series is free
and open to the public. Participants are invited to bring lunch with them. Please note that a valid ID is required
to enter City Hall which is located at Fayette and Holiday Streets. Topics include:
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March 30th: Baltimore
author and former Sun columnist Gilbert Sandler will talk about quirky Baltimore as he spins stories about the city
and its people. Gil has been telling stories about old Baltimore for more than 30 years in newspapers, magazines, books, and
currently on WYPR radio.
Rosa Ponselle Lecture
Wednesday, February 29th, 1
p.m. in the Pikesville Library located at 1301 Reisterstown Road. Elayne Duke, the last living person who knew Rosa
Ponselle, will speak about the life and career of this famous opera diva from Baltimore whose career reached it pinacle
during the 1930s and 40s. The talk is free and open to the public. For more information,
call 410-887-1234.
Historic Waverly Walking Tour
Sunday, April 1st from noon
to 2 p.m. Join Waverly Main Street as it commemorates the upcoming War of 1812 bicentennial with a walking tour of historic
sites in the community. The tour begins at the site of a former Revolutionary War military barracks located on the grounds
of present-day St Johns Huntingdon Episcopal Church at Greenmount Avenue and Old York Road. Other stops include
the Waverly Fire House (1907), the old U.S. Post Office Waverly Station (now Ace Hardware), the Waverly Historical Marker
on Olmsted Green (33rd Street), and concluding with a reception outside of the old Waverly Town Hall at Greenmount Avenue
and 31st Street. The tour is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.
For more information, visit www.waverlymainstreet.net.
Enoch Pratt Free Library Programs
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War of 1812 Exhibit -- "Defense
of a Nation: Maryland in the War of 1812" is currently on display at the Southeast Anchor
Library, 601 Eastern Avenue, and will be on display from February 1st - 22nd. The exhibit is open to the public during regular library hours. For more information, call 410-396-1580.
War of 1812 Bicentennial
Beginning in June, 2012, Baltimore and Maryland will
celebrate the bicentennial of the War of 1812. Events will culminate in September, 2014 with the celebration of Baltimore's
defense against the 1814 British attack. Numerous events are being planned. To learn more about the War of
1812 and the upcoming bicentennial events, visit www.starspangled200.org. For more information on
other events around Maryland, see Key Notes, the e-newsletter of the Maryland War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission
(www.starspangled200.org)
Other links to explore:
- Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail
- Baltimore National Heritage Area
- Eastern Shore 1812 Consortium
- Fort McHenry
- Star-Spangled Banner Flag House
- www.upperbay1812.com - Covers the upper Chesapeake Bay region in the war; includes timeline, notable people, sites of interest,
and bicentennial events
- www.1812music.org - created by Dr. David Hildebrand and the colonial Music Institute; includes music from the period of the war
Visit www.starspangled200.org for a new 7-minute video produced by Maryland Public Television for the Maryland War of 1812 Bicentennial commission.
For a well written article on the restoration of the Star
Spangled Banner and the story of Baltimore's defense in 1814, see "Banner Days," by Robert M. Poole,
Smithsonian Magazine, November, 2008, pp. 69-75.
Basilica of the Assumption Tours
Guided tours
of America's first cathedral, the Basilica of the Assumption, take place Monday through Friday at 9 a.m., 11 a.m., and 1 p.m.
For Saturday tour times, call 410-727-6565. A Sunday tour begins at noon following Mass. If you prefer to visit
the cathedral without taking a guided tour, the Basilica is open to the public from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily (except
during scheduled Masses). Guided tours are free but donations are always accepted. Reservations
are required only for groups of more than 10 people. The Basilica is located at Cathedral and Mulberry Streets.
B&O Railroad Museum - Civil War Exhibit
"The War Came by Train" exhibits the largest
collection of Civil War railroad equipment in the world. It features locomotives, rail cars, as well as military and
personal artifacts. $ The B&O Museum is located at 900
West Pratt Street. For more information, call 410-752-2490 or visit www.borail.org which includes a two-minute video introduction to the exhibit produced by the Smithsonian Institute.
Maryland Historical Society: Civil War Exhibit
Divided Voices: Maryland in the Civil War commemorates the
150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War. $ The
largest Civil War exhibit in the museum's 167-year history will tell the story of the conflict in three parts: the romantic
war, the real war, and the long reunion. The Maryland Historical Society is located at 201 W. Monument Street just west
of Park Avenue. For more information, call 410-685-3750 or visit www.mdhs.org. Admission to the museum is free on the first Thursday of each month.
Riots, Railroads, and the Coming of Mr. Lincoln
Through May 31st at the Sports Legends
Museum located in historic Camden Station $ Marking the
150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War, this exhibit focuses on Lincoln's secret passage through Baltimore on the
way to his inauguration in March, 1861 as well as the Pratt Street Riot of April 19th. In that incident, four Union
soldiers and 12 civilians were killed. The fours soldiers from the Massachusetts 6th Regiment were the first deaths
of the Civil War. The exhibit includes prints, photos, maps, newspapers, and Civil War artifacts. For more information,
call 410-727-1539. The Civil War exhibit is included with the admission to the museum. The Sports Legends Museum
is located at 301 West Camden Street next door to Orioles Park at Camden Yards.
Baltimore Civil War Museum
Located in the old President Street Station that was built in the 1850s,
the museum tells the story of Baltimore's role in the Civil War. The museum is free and open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Monday to Saturday, and from noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays.
The museum is located at 601 South President Street. For more information, call 443-220-0290.
Baltimore National Heritage Area -
Tour Guide Program
BNHA is offering a tour-guide training and certification program
in anticipation of the upcoming War of 1812 bicentennial commemoration. Two sessions of the full-day program -- Saturday, March 10th and Saturday, March 24th -- feature
local historians including Wayne R. Schaumburg as well as scholars, and a comprehensive bus tour of Baltimore sites
and attractions. $ The program includes lunch and a Greater
Baltimore History Alliance Museum pass. For more information, call BNHA at 410-878-6411, or email Shauntee Daniels
at the BNHA.
Hopkins University Alumni Walking Tour
Sunday, May 20th, 2 p.m. $ Join author Cindy Kelly (Outdoor Sculpture in Baltimore) for
a walking tour of the monuments and public sculpture found on and around the John Hopkins University campus. A
reception at Gertrude's will follow the tour. For more information or to make reservations, call 410-516-0363 or email
alumni.jhu.edu/baltimore.
Green
Mount Cemetery Walking Tours
The next set of walking tours through
historic Green Mount Cemetery will take place on Saturday, May 5, 12, 19, 26 - $ - Opened in 1839 as the city's first
urban-rural cemetery, Green Mount is the final resting place of Johns Hopkins, Enoch Pratt, William and Henry Walters, Mary
Elizabeth Garrett, Theodore McKeldin, John Wilkes Booth, Betsy Patterson, Walter Lord, and other famous Marylanders.
Tours begin at 9:30 a.m. from the main gate located at Greenmount Avenue and East Oliver Street, and are led by Baltimore
historian Wayne R. Schaumburg. Reservations are required. For more information, or to be placed on the mailing
list for the May tours, call 410-256-2180 or email wayne.schaumburg@gmail.com.
New
Books on Baltimore History and Architecture for 2012:
Jennifer Bodine, Bodine's
City -- The Photography of A. Aubrey Bodine
Henry C. Peden, Jr. and Jack L. Shagena, Jr., The
Ma & Pa Remembered: A History of the Maryland & Pennsylvania Railroad
(See the article by Fred Rasmussen in the Sun from December, 25, 2011)
Maureen O'Prey, Brewing in Baltimore
(See the article by Fred Rasmussen in the Sun from January 1, 2012)
Melissa Schehlain, Towson:
Then and Now (See the article by Fred Rasmussen in the Sun from Janaury 8, 2012)
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This Week in Baltimore's History:
February 8th: 1904: After battling the blaze
for 30 hours, firemen finally brought the Great Baltimore Fire under control around 5 p.m. Most of the downtown business
district was a total loss. All together, 1,526 buildings had been destroyed along with 2,500 businesses. Almost
35,000 Baltimoreans had lost their jobs, and damage was estimated to be over $100,000,000.
February 9th: 1880: Twenty-five cigar makers
employed by August Mencken & Brothers (Henry Mencken's father) quit work because the proprietors refused to discharge
non-union workers.
-----------------: 2010: For the second time
in less than a week, Baltimore was struck by a major snow storm. This on dumped 19 inches of snow on the city.
Added to the 25 inches from the February 5th blizzard, Baltimore received more snow in one week than it had in any single
month on record! The two storms cost the city over $21 million.
February 10th: 1810:
In a meeting at the home of Henry Payson on Hanover Street, a group of Baltimore gentlemen formed a society known as the First
Independent Unitarian Church of Baltimore. The First Unitarian Church was built in 1817 at Charles and Franklin Streets
and still stands today.
February 11th: 1899: A three-day blizzard, known as the Valentine's Day Snow Storm, dumped 21.4 inches
of snow and shut down the city for days afterward. The storm was on top of 11 inches of snow just a week before.
In addition, the storm was accompanied by bone-chilling temperatures of between -6 and +9 degrees.
----------------: 1916: The
new Baltimore Symphony Orchestra played its first concert at the Lyric Opera House. The orchestra's first director was
Gustav Strube who was also a member of the Peabody Institute faculty. Concert tickets cost 15 cents.
February 12th: 1776: Flag maker Mary Pickersgill
was born in Philadelphia. She moved to Baltimore with her daughter in 1807 and set up a flagmaking business in a house
located at the corner of Pratt and Abemarle Streets. In 1813, she produced the famous 30 x 42 foot flag for Fort McHenry.
Earlier in 1802, Mary Pickersgill was one of the founders of the Impartial Female Humane Society. She served
as its president from 1828 to 1851 and founded the Aged Women's Home (1851) which was located on Franklin Square. We
know it today as Pickersgill Retirement Community located in Towson.
-----------------: 1857: Philanthropist
George Peabody signed a letter of intent that would establish Baltimore's first cultural center. The Peabody Institute
would include an art gallery, library, concert hall, and music school. In the end, his gift totaled more than $1.2 million.
Peabody hoped that the new center would contribute "to the improvement of the moral and intellectual culture of the inhabitants
of Baltimore."
February 13th: 1974: Mayor William Donald Schaefer
received payment for the first "dollar house" sold by the city on Sterling Street as part of the "urban homesteading" program.
The program would bring national attention to the city as well as renew neighborhoods including Otterbein, Ridgely's Delight,
and Barre Circle.
February 14th: 1845: Samuel F. B. Morse
sent a telegram to Mr. Rogers, an agent in Baltimore, stating that he would have to suspend operation because the company
had run out of money.
Website updated on 2/08/2012
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PHOTO ANSWER: The Latrobe Pavilion is one of a series
of structures in Druid Hill Park that were designed by architect George
A. Frederick that includes the famous Conservatory. Druid Hill, the city's first public park, opened in 1860
and was formerly a large country estate belonging to the Rogers family. Frederick was hired in 1862 at the age of nineteen
and would serve for 33 years as the architect for the city Park Commission. In addition to his work at
Druid Hill, he also designed City Hall, Clyburn Mansion, the Pimlico Clubhouse, and numerous other buildings.
At the park he design a group of pavilions, three of which were station stops for
a park railway that carried people from North Avenue into Druid Hill. The Chinese Station (1863), named for its distinctive
architecture, was located at Fulton and Druid Hill Avenues (see the drawing below). The Council Grove Station
(1863) was the largest and served as the terminus for the railway. Done in a classical style, it stands directly
in front of the entrance to the zoo (see the photo below). The Latrobe Station (1863), designed
in a Moorish style of architecture (see the first photo below), was originally located near the Promenade which led to
the Band Stand. Originally called Orem's Way Station, it was later renamed in honor or John H. B. Latrobe, one
of the Park Commissioners. The railway which ran for 1 1/3 miles and the three stations cost just over $25,000.
For more information on George Frederick, visit George A. Frederick, Prominent Architect
of Historic Baltimore Landmarks at http://georgeafrederick.com. This terrific site was assembled by Mary Frederick and other family members and includes a biography, list of works,
and a reference list.
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