Hampden-Woodberry History and Landmarks
In the fall of 2015, the Greater Hampden Heritage Alliance in partnership with Baltimore Heritage published a comprehensive walking tour brochure for Baltimore’s Hampden and Woodberry neighborhoods.
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Stories 13
The Rotunda
The construction of the Rotunda in 1921, designed by architects Simonson & Pietsch in the neo-Georgian style, marked a radical change in the design of business campuses in the twentieth century.…
Mayor's Christmas Parade
William Donald Schaeffer approached Tom Kerr, head of the old Hampden Business Association, in 1972 to organize the Mayor's Christmas Parade. The parade would be Schaeffer's answer to the…
Hampden Branch, Enoch Pratt Free Library: Robert Poole's Gift to Hampden Readers
Enoch Pratt Free Library Branch No. 7 opened its doors on July 2, 1900, 17 years after industrialist Robert Poole and fellow businessmen established Woodberry’s first community library. In 1899, Poole donated the land, the books from the old library, and $25,000 towards erecting the new branch of Enoch Pratt Free Library on Falls Road.
Church & Company: A new use for the old Hampden Presbyterian Church
Workers laid the cornerstone of the Hampden Presbyterian Church in 1875 and dedicated the building two years later. The sturdy structure is made of Texas Limestone, named for the unincorporated town…
Roosevelt Park and the FRP
Today, Roosevelt Park is a quiet, green space with mature trees, playing fields, gardens, a recreation center, and a community skate park. The park dates back to the late nineteenth century when it…
Hampden Reservoir
Only long-time residents of Baltimore can remember the Hampden Reservoir, buried since 1960 under debris from the construction of the Jones Falls Expressway and used as Roosevelt Park. The Hampden…
Elisha Tyson's Falls Road House
Originally the summer home of industrialist and abolitionist Elisha Tyson in the early 1800s, 732 Pacific Street is a classic Federal style house built with native granite two feet thick. Among many…
Meadow Mill
Meadow Mill was built by industrialist William E. Hooper in 1877 during one of the most prosperous periods for industry in the Jones Falls Valley. Designed by architect Reuben Gladfelter, it represented the finest of Baltimore mill design. A striking belfry, landscaped paths, and tidy gardens signaled Hooper’s prominence among business leaders.
Mill Centre: Offices at Mount Vernon Mill No. 3
Mount Vernon Mill No. 3, renamed Mill Centre in the 1980s, represented in 1853 an important expansion to Mt.Vernon Company. Led by president and former sailor Captain William Kennedy, both were among fourteen U.S. mills that—as part of a huge textile conglomerate—would capture up to 80% of the world’s demand for cotton duck in the early 1900s.
Whitehall Cotton Mill
Before the rise of textile mills, the fast-flowing water of the Jones Falls instead powered gristmills supplying Baltimore's lucrative flour trade. Whitehall Mill was established as a gristmill in the…
Mount Vernon Mill No. 1: At the heart of textile manufacturing along the Jones Falls
Mill No. 1 sits on the site of Laurel Mill, a late 18th-century flour mill originally owned by prominent businessman and abolitionist Elisha Tyson. In 1849, the newly chartered Mount Vernon Company…
Poole & Hunt Foundry and Machine Works: Industry and Adaptive Reuse at Clipper Mill
At its peak in the late nineteenth century, the Poole & Hunt Foundry and Machine Works employed over 700 people, making it one of the largest employers in the Jones Falls Valley after the textile…
Union Mill
Originally known as Druid Mill, Union Mill was built between 1865 and 1872. At the time, it was the largest cotton duck mill in the United States. A unique feature of the mill's construction is the…Tour curated by: Greater Hampden Heritage Alliance | Local historian Nathan Dennies volunteered to research and write and graphic designer Paula Bogert created the design for the printed brochure version of this tour.