Wayne's Guide to Talks, Walks, and Tours of Baltimore
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Can you name and locate this historic Baltimore building? For the answer, go to the end of this page.

 

 This website is an on-going list of walks, talks, and tours that relate to Baltimore history and architecture.  The site was created for the benefit of my students, friends, and colleagues who often inquire about upcoming events.   My e-mail address is: wschaumburg@earthlink.net.  Please feel free to comment or make suggestions. 

Baltimore City Historical Society  -  Annual Mayor's Reception & History Honors

Saturday, November 14th, from Noon to 2 p.m. at Lovely Lane Methodist Church located at St. Paul and 22nd Streets - Join the society as it celebrates Baltimore's literary history and this year's honorees that include Louis Diggs, Ric Cottom, Eve Slezak, Wilbur Hunter, Frances Murphy, and Hans Schuler.  In addition, there will be tours of historic Lovely Lane Church which was completed in 1887 and designed by architect Stanford White.  The program is free and open to the public.  For more information, call 410-685-3750, ext 379; visit www.historicbaltimore.org; or e-mail bchs@mdhs.org.

 

 

B&O Railroad Museum - Film Screening

Mechanic to Millionaire:  The Peter Cooper Story  -- Saturday & Sunday, November 14th and 15th from 1:30-4 p.m.  $  The film covers the life and times of 19th century inventor and philanthropist Peter Cooper.  His Canton Iron Works built the first American steam locomotive called the Tom Thumb for the B&O Railroad.  Author and B&O historian Jim Dilts will join the film's producer/director, Janet Gardner, for a discussion following the film.  The program is free with admission to the museum.  The B&O Museum is located at 901 W. Pratt Street.

 

 

Friends of Maryland's Olmste d Parks & Landscapes Walking Tour

Sunday, November 15th from 1-3 p.m.  $  Join the FMOPL for a walking tour of historic Dundalk which dates from 1916.  In that year, Bethlehem Steel Company purchased the Maryland Steel Company plus 1,000 acres and began plans for a community to house employees. Designed by the Dundalk Company, the plan called for rowhouses, semi-detached and single homes along with a shopping center, community buildings, and churches.  Parks and curving tree-lined streets reflect Olmsted Brothers design principles.  The tour will be led by local historian Donna young and begins at the Dundalk-Patapsco Neck Historical Society located at 4 Center Place, just off Dundalk Avenue and across from the post office.  For information and to make reservations, contact Lisa Keir at lkeir@mdhc.org or call 410-790-8658.  Space is limited. 

 

 

The Last Poe Picture Show

Saturday, November 21st, 7 p.m. at Westminster Hall -  Enjoy the final event celebrating Poe's Bicentennial in Baltimore.  The program includes Fall of the House of Usher starring Vincent Price, a Poe on Film trivia contest, Mario Cavalli's The Cask of Amontillado, and a panel discussion.  The program is free and open to the public but tickets are required.  To reserve tickets, visit www.westminsterhall.org or www.poebicentennial.com.  For more information, call 410-706-2072. 

 

 

Enoch Pratt Free Library  -  Book Talk

Sunday, November 22nd - Folklorist and writer Alison Kahn and photographer Peggy Fox will present an illustrated slide talk on their new book Patapsco: Life Along Maryland's Historic River Valley.  This free program will take place at 2 p.m. in the Poe Room of the Central Library located at 400 Cathedral Street.

 

 

Enoch Pratt Free Library Exhibit:  NAACP Baltimore Branch:  97 Years and Counting

This historical exhibit includes photographs, posters, documents, newspaper clippings and memorabilia from the archives of the Baltimore branch of the NAACP. This display was curated by Larry S. Gibson and will be on display at the Central Library (400 Cathedral Street) through December 31st. The exhibit is free and open to the public during regular library hours. 

 

 

Maryland Historical Society Programs

Library Orientation Sessions  -  $  - Third Saturday of each month -- The 45-minute sessions begin at 9:30 a.m. in the library.  Reserevations are not required.

  • November 21st:  Introduction to Genealogical Research

 

 

Fell's Point Walking Tours

The popular walking tours of historic Fell's Point will run on weekends through November.   $   All tours start from the Visitor Center at 1724 Thames Street and are approximately 90 minutes long.  Reservations are required.  for more information, call 410-675-6750, ext. 16 or 12. 

  • Immigration Tour:  Saturdays at 12 noon
  • Secrets of a Seaport - Fell's Point Tour:  Saturdays at 10 a.m.
  • African American History Tour - Sundays at  3 p.m.
  • Robert Long House (Ann Street) - Tuesdays through Saturdays at 1:30 p.m. 

 

 

Basilica of the Assumption Tours

Free 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 410-727-3565.  Sunday tours begin at noon following Mass.  The Basilica is located at Cathedral and Mulberry Streets.

 

 

Johns Hopkins Alumni Association:  Book Talk

Wednesday, November 11th (Veterans Day) from Noon - 2 p.m. at Evergreen Mansion located at 4545 North Charles Street  - $ - Author Joseph Sterne will discuss his new book entitled "Combat Correspondents:  The Baltimore Sun in World War II." The program includes a buffet lunch.  Reservations are required.  For information, call the Johns Hopkins Alumni Association at 410-548-5481 or e-mail alumevents@jhu.edu.  

 

 

FALL SEMESTER COURSES ON BALTIMORE HISTORY AND ARCHITECTURE:

Roland Park Country School Kaleidoscope Program - 5204 Roland Avenue (just south of West Northern Pwky) 410-323-5500

  • The Legendary A. Aubrey Bodine - $ - Thursday, November 19th, 7-8:30p.m. Instructor:  Jennifer Bodine (Aubrey Bodine was the famous pictorialist and newspaper photographer for the Baltimore Sun whose career there spanned 47 years.)
  • "Spirit of Place - Baltimore's Favorite Spaces:"  An Evening With the Authors - $ - Thursday, November 12th, 7-8:30 p.m.  Sarah Achenbach and Bill McAllen (A total of 56 Baltimore celebrities, civic leaders, and regular citizens were asked this question:  "What is your favorite Baltimore place or space?"  The result is Sarah and Bill's book on the historic and architectural charms of Baltimore.)
  • DAY TRIP:  Historic Maryland Synagogues - $ - Thursday, November 19th from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.  Instructor: Louisa Wyskiel  (Visit the Jewish Museum of Maryland to uncover roots of Jewish history in Baltimore. The tour included visits to the Lloyd Street Synagogue (1845) and the B'nai Israel Synagogue (1876) which are located next to the museum. Lunch at Della Notte Restaurant is included in the tour.)

 

 

Johns Hopkins University Odyssey Program - 410-516-4842 or visit www.odyssey.jhu.edu.

  • The Life and Times of the Baltimore Colts - $ - Thursday, December 3rd from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Instructor:  William Gildea (Join sportswriter Bill Gildea as he look at the early years of the Colts from 1953-1958.)

 

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Johns Hopkins University - 410-516-9719 or visit www.osherjhu.edu - Both  classes listed below take place at Grace United Methodist Church, 5407 Charles Street at Northern Parkway.

 

  • Maryland's Cultural Landscape - $ - Thursdays, 10 a.m.-Noon, from November 5th through December 17th (no class on November 26th) Coordinators:  Betty and Jerry Downs  (This six-week course will focus on the rich diversity of cultural offerings in the Baltimore area through a group of guest speakers. Those confirmed include Tom Hall, David Hess and Charlie Duff.) 

 

 

Green Mount Cemetery Walking Tours

The next set of walking tours through historic Green Mount Cemetery will take place on Saturday, May 8, 15, 22, 29 - $ -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 information, call 410-256-2180 or e-mail:  wschaumburg@earthlink.net. 

 

 

NEW BOOKS ON BALTIMORE FOR 2009:

Bob Luke, The Baltimore Elite Giants, Hopkins University Press.

Greg Alexander and Paul Williams, A Brief History of Charles Village, History Press.

John Breihan, Images of Aviation:  Maryland Aviation, Arcadia Publishing. 

Marsha Wise, Postcard History Series:  Baltimore Neighborhoods, Arcadia Publishing.

Barry Lanman, Baltimore County:  Celebrating a Legacy, 1659-2009, Historical Society of Baltimore County.

Geoff Brown, Moon Baltimore, Avalon Travel.

Mike Gesker, The Orioles Encyclopedia, A Half Century of History and Highlights, Hopkins University Press.

Frank Shivers Jr., Bolton Hill, Blue Plaque Edition, Hopkins University Press. -- Not yet released

Charles Balfoure, Edmund G. Lind:  Anglo-American Architect of Baltimore and the South, Baltimore Architecture Foundation. 

Jospeh R. L. Sterne, Combat Correspondents, The Baltimore Sun in World War II, Hopkins University Press.

 

 

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This Week in Baltimore's History:

November 9th:  1929:  Mayor Broening announced plans to convert the Old City Hall on Holiday Street into a municipal museum.  The building which opened in 1814 had been known as the Peale Museum.  After it closed in 1830, the building served as Baltimore's City Hall until the new one opened in 1875.
 
 
November 10th:  1922:  A minor disturbance followed the City-Poly football game in which City lost 27-0.
 
November 11th:  1834:  A new locomotive built for the B&O Railroad by Charles Reeder, exploded during a trial run.       
 
November 12th:  1921: Police raided an alleged gambling house at 5209 Park Heights Avenue.  Several well known racehorse owners and their jockeys were among 30 men who were arrested. 
 
November 13th:  1775:  On the advice of the First Continental Congress meeting in Philadelphia, a committee was appointed in Baltimore to procure amunition in the event of war with Great Britain 
 
November 14th:  1832:  Charles Carroll of Carrollton died at his townhouse on Lombard Street in Baltimore.  He was the last living signer of the Declaration of Independence.
 
November 15th:  1922:  J Frank Crowther reported to the city school board that none of the fire escapes ordered months ago for 26 schools have been completed. 
 
   
                 Updated on 11/09/09
 
 
 
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Located on the southeast corner of Eutaw and Baltimore Streets (across form the Hippodrome Theater), the Abell Building opened in 1879.  Baltimore Sun founder, Arunah S. Abell built the structure as an investment property to capitalize on the growing garment trade that was moving into this part of the central business district. Abell commissioned City Hall architect George Frederick to design this Victorian Gothic warehouse that is 6 bays wide and 19 bays long with abundant details.  The first floor is framed with cast iron manufactured by Bartlett,  Robbins & Company here in Baltimore. The upper floors are brick with bluestone, white marble and terra-cotta trim.  With the demise of the westside district, the Abell building sat vacant for a number of years until it was recently purchased by the PMC Property Group which has rehabbed the building for use as one and two-bedroom apartments.