History of Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Feb - Gas Light Company incorporated to provide streetlights in Baltimore, first such firm in country.

Isaac McKim milled flour with steam power, Baltimore, first such operation in country.

Feb. 28 - Baltimore and Ohio Railroad chartered.

www.e-referencedesk.com/ resources/ state-history-timeline/ maryland.html

1827-02-28 - 1st commercial railroad in US, Baltimore & Ohio (B&O) chartered

historyorb.com

Frederick Douglass escaped from slavery in Baltimore.

Baltimore, a city, port of entry, and sent of justice of Baltimore county, Maryland, is situated on a small bay or estuary which extends about two miles and a half inland from the N. side of Patapsco river, about 12 miles from its entrance into Chesapeake bay. The city, by ship channel, is about 200 miles from the ocean. It is 38 miles by railroad N. E. from Washington, and 98 miles 8. W. from Philadelphia. Lat. 89° 17' N., Ion. 76° 87' W. Baltimore is admirably situated both for foreign and internal commerce. The bay around which it is built affords a secure and spacious harbor, and it has communication by railway not only with Philadelphia and Washington, but with Winchester, Annapolis, Cumberland, Frederick City, York, Lancaster, and Harrisburg. The limits of the city comprise about 10,000 acres of land, extending about four miles and a half from east to west, and three and a half from north to south. It consisted originally of more than fifty elevations or hills, separated by...

April 19 - Sixth Massachusetts Union Regiment attacked by Baltimore mob.

There is to be a great German singing festival in Baltimore from the 10th to the 16th of July. Handel's oratorio, "Messiah," is to be given, with a chorus of over one thousand voices.

Ceremonies dedicated Baltimore City Hall, a George Frederick design.

Telephone exchange opened in Baltimore, first in State.

Electrical energy debuted in Maryland at Sun Building, Baltimore.

Baltimore-Union Passenger Railway Company, first commercial electric street railway in country.

Linotype machine perfected by Ottmar Mergenthaler, Baltimore.

Baltimore, a city and port of entry, the metropolis of the state of Maryland, is situated on an estuary of the Patapsco River (locally known as "The Basin"), 12 miles from its entrance into Chesapeake Bay, and 180 miles by ship-channel from the sea. Lat. 39° 17' N.; lon. 76°37' W. It is the terminus of the Baltimore & Ohio, Northern Central, Western Maryland, Philadelphia, Wilmington & Baltimore, Baltimore & Potomac, Annapolis Short Line, and Maryland Central Railroads. Its harbor is spacious and secure: it has been deepened artificially to a minimum of 24 feet. The facilities for transfer of freight from the rail ways to the shipping are excellent; and in recent years the city has become one of the leading places of export in the United States, especially for the agricultural products of the West and South. It is built upon a succession of picturesque eminences; and the city and its surrounding: are regarded as surpassing nearly every other large city of the United States in variety...

For many a year after the weary passengers of the Ark and the Dove had disembarked at St. Mary's, there to make the first settlement under the proprietary government of the Lords Baltimore, the rivers of Maryland ran, like Mr. George Alfred Townsend's Rappahannock,

"All townless from the mountains to the sea."

The Chesapeake and its almost numberless tributaries made every plantation accessible to shipping, and so precluded that concentration of trade and population at points of vantage which is the essential condition of municipal growth. As Charles Calvert, third Baron Baltimore, wrote, in 1678:

"The principall place or Towne is called St. Maryes... other places wee have none, that are called or cann be called Townes. The people there not affecting to build nere each other but soe as to have their [houses] nere the watters for conveniencye of trade and their Lands on each side of and behynde their houses, by which it happens that in most places there are not fifty houses in ...

Nine Were Drowned in the Harbor by the Capsizing of Boats--The Damage is Heavy.

Baltimore, July 21. - A fierce tornado characterized by a windstorm of extraordinary fury, thunder, vivid lighting and a heavy rain, burst upon Baltimore at 1:30 yesterday afternoon, coming from the southwest, with the net result that thirteen persons lost their lives, hundreds of houses were unroofed, trees in the public parks and streets were torn up by the roots, many buildings damaged and several people injured. The storm exhausted its fury in less than fifteen minutes. The damage done in the business part of the city was comparatively slight, being confined to the blowing down of signs and injuries to roofs. It was in the residence portions of the city and along the river front and in the harbor where the wind spent its violence.

Of those who perished nine were drowned in the harbor from open boats, two were drowned by the overturning of a boat at Tolchester, one was killed by a falling tree and ...

THE STORY OF THE BURNING OF BALTIMORE

All the world was startled on Sunday, February 7, 1904, just 39 days after the Iroquois theater horror, by another sickening visitation of the fire fiend. This time the devouring element fell upon the city of Baltimore and all but effaced it from the map. Millions upon millions in property were swept away, old established firms annihilated and miles of streets occupied by business houses laid waste. Fortunately this disaster was accompanied by no loss of life.

Twenty-seven hours elapsed before the conflagration was checked. Fire fighters hurried to the scene from a number of near by cities and aided the local fire department in subduing the flames. Strangely enough it was a coal yard that broke the onward sweep of the sea of fire and enabled the firemen to bring the fire under control. Even then it burned for days, feeding on the debris and wreckage that marked its early progress. The greatest danger past troops and police relieved the...

Baltimore, a city, port of entry, and metropolis of Maryland, the sixth city in population of the United States, is on an estuary of the Patapsco River (locally known as "The Basin"), 14 miles from Chesapeake Bay and about 180 miles by ship-channel from the Atlantic. Lat. 39° 17' N. ; Ion. 76'' 37' W. It is on the Baltimore and Ohio, the Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, the Baltimore and Annapolis and other railroads, 40 miles NE. of Washington and 96 miles SW. of Philadelphia. Its harbor is spacious and secure and has been deepened artificially to a minimum of 24 feet. The facilities for transfer of freight from the railways to the shipping are excellent, and the city has become one of the leading places of export in the United States, especially for the agricultural products of the West and South. It is built on a succession of eminences and has picturesque surroundings. The principal thoroughfares are Baltimore and Lexington Streets, running E. and W., and Charles Street,...

Nov. 30 - Baltimore Harbor Tunnel opened.

April - Riots in Baltimore and Washington, DC, followed assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King.

June 30
Tens days of riverflow from Agnes have “aged” the Chesapeake Bay by more than a decade a week, filling it with as much sediment as it normally gets in a quarter century. Flash flooding in the Baltimore area drowns three children in a car.

Inner Harbor: This is probably the most iconic spot in Baltimore. You can take a stroll along the waterfront, visit the historic ships, or check out the numerous shops and restaurants.

National Aquarium: Located at the Inner Harbor, this is one of the best aquariums in the country. You can see a wide variety of marine life, including dolphins, sharks, and tropical fish.

Fort McHenry: A must-visit for history buffs. This is where the Battle of Baltimore took place during the War of 1812 and inspired Francis Scott Key to write "The Star-Spangled Banner."

Maryland Science Center: Perfect for families, this interactive science museum has hands-on exhibits, an IMAX theater, and a planetarium.

American Visionary Art Museum: This museum showcases outsider and self-taught artists. The building itself is a work of art, covered in mirrored mosaics.

Baltimore Museum of Art: Home to an impressive collection of 19th-century, modern, and contemporary art. Plus, it's free to...