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.

The Jones Falls provided the power that fueled manufacturing in Baltimore in the 19th and 20th centuries. The string of mills built in the valley along the river had an indelible economic and social impact on the surrounding areas, the effect of which can still be felt to this day.

Discover the city's libraries and former libraries from the Enoch Pratt Free Library's grand Central Branch in Mount Vernon to the more humble branch buildings across the city.

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…