For over two hundred years this neighborhood has been a center of activity to entrepreneurs and merchants of all kinds, suffragists and civil rights protesters, and much more. Start from Lexington Market and explore the rich history of Downtown's west side. Many of these stories were created in partnership with the University of Maryland Baltimore County Department of History, Public History Track.

Discover the varied Baltimore businesses that have survived and thrived and are still going today. Whether you're looking to purchase a fishing pole or ornamental ironwork, you will enjoy this tour of just a few of Baltimore's many historic legacy businesses.

Baltimore’s Civil Rights Heritage: Looking for Landmarks from the Movement is an ongoing project to research and document the historic context for the long Civil Rights movement for African Americans in Baltimore. This tour features significant places associated with Baltimore's Civil Rights movement including several that are currently threatened with neglect or demolition.

After its incorporation in the late 18th century, the population of Baltimore grew very quickly along with the expansion of the new country. One of the many “trades” that grew along with the city was the sale of enslaved people, for which there was a burgeoning market in early 19th century Baltimore. Several things contributed to this development. First, local Maryland farmers had shifted from a labor-intensive tobacco crop to the growing of cereal grains that required less work and contributed…

Many know Mount Vernon as the long-time home of Baltimore’s Pride Parade as well as the city’s oldest gay and lesbian bars and businesses. But that only is only a small part of the LGBTQ history and historic places found in this neighborhood!