Stories about famous people and places in Baltimore.
Baltimore’s Camden Station in 1872
Old photo of Baltimore's Camden Station in 1872. Incredible details in a high quality image.
Verda Welcome: 1st African-American State Senator
Verda Welcome was a Maryland politician. Welcome was the first black woman to be elected to a state senate. She survived an assassination attempt in 1964.
We Miss Eddie Murray
Eddie Murray was the best, especially in 1983. We really miss him and those winning Orioles.
Sad Final Days of Memorial Stadium
This old photo from sometime in the 1990s shows the beloved old Memorial Stadium from the inside. The field is overgrown and the not a soul in the stands. Source: Library of Congress
President Truman’s Whistle-Stop Campaign in 1948
We came across a great photo of President Truman on a train in Baltimore, so we did a little digging. Here’s the article that we dug up in The Baltimore Sun on June 19th, 1948....
Incredible 1846 Photo of Battle Monument
This fascinating old photo from 1846 shows the Battle Monument on North Calvert. It was taken by John Plumbe who also took this incredible photo of the White House, the earliest known photo of...
Early 1970s Aerial View Before Oriole Park at Camden Yards
What a fascinating series of photos showing the site if Camden Yards in the 1970s.
Why Is It Named Oriole Park at Camden Yards?
Dedicated in 1992, it was the first of the new wave of retro-style ballparks. The one built just prior to Camden Yards was New Comiskey Park (i.e., U.S. Cellular Field) for the Chicago White...
Earl Weaver Loses It In 1980
This is classic Earl Weaver. Thanks to our friend Marty for sending this in some time ago. We’re just now getting around to sharing it with the community.
Photo of 1897 Pennant-Deciding Game Between Boston and Baltimore
This photo shows the deciding game of the 1897 National League season with the Boston Beaneaters taking the pennant from the Baltimore Orioles, in Baltimore at Union Park (also known as Oriole Park III)....
Civil War Map of Camp Patterson Park
How cool is this old map from the Civil War? It shows Camp Patterson Park, including a directory of soldiers. Fascinating.
Mt. Vernon Place Frozen in Time (1903)
What a terrific old photo of Mt. Vernon Place. This was taken in 1903. Source: Library of Congress
Film Footage of Teddy Roosevelt in Baltimore
Check this out. It shows Teddy Roosevelt in Baltimore on September 28th, 1918 for the fourth Liberty Loan campaign at the old Oriole Baseball Park. He’s wearing a mourning armband for his son Quentin,...
5-Year-Old Babe Ruth’s Family in the 1900 Census
This is a really cool find. It shows the Ruth family, living at 339 South Woodyear St. in Baltimore, back in 1900. Ruth Sr. at the time was a lightning rod salesman. It’s tiny,...
Babe Ruth’s 1920 Passport Application
How cool is this? What a great find on Ancestry.com. We came across the Bambino’s 1920 application for a passport that fall, because he was traveling to Cuba to play in some barnstorming games....
President Coolidge Attends Unveiling of Lafayette Statue
Here’s a great photo that we dug up showing Calvin Coolidge attending the unveiling and dedication of the Lafayette Statue in Mount Vernon Place. This took place on September 6th, 1928, the 171st anniversary...
Woodrow Wilson and the 1883 Johns Hopkins Glee Club
What a cool photo! This shows Woodrow Wilson with his buddies on the Johns Hopkins Glee Club in 1883. Source: Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library Flickr
Local Man Arrested for Threatening to Kill Kennedy
Source: Baltimore Post-Examiner We wrote the other day about Kennedy’s visit to Baltimore at Patterson Park. Well, we found another story related to that visit in 1962, with a darker side. This is an...
Terrific Drawing of Johns Hopkins Hospital
This is a great drawing of Johns Hopkins Hospital that we found on the NIH website. Source: National Institutes of Health
Kennedy Visits Patterson Park in ’62
Maybe a group of you remember this visit? We came across a neat story in The Baltimore Guide detailing an individual’s memories of meeting the President during his 1962 visit to the city. On...
Map of Proposed 20 Billion Gallon Reservoir
This is a cool map that we found in The Baltimore Sun, from Thursday, November 5th, 1908. The initial funding of $5 million that year provided for building the dams necessary for the Loch Raven...
Photo of Hindenburg Flying Over Baltimore in 1936
This is an incredible photo from 1936, showing the Hindenburg floating over Baltimore. Nine months later came the horrific accident in New Jersey. Make sure you share this one with family and friends on...
Batterin’ Babe … Look at Him Now
Here’s a cool image we found at the Library of Congress. It’s a print of a song written in honor of Baltimore’s native son, George Herman “Babe” Ruth.
Meet the Real Officer McNulty
Digging through The Baltimore Sun archives, we came across something awesome … another policeman named McNulty! Much like the famed Ghosts of DC hero, Officer Sprinkle, Officer McNulty was a local micro-celebrity. Unlike the alcoholic,...
Visit of President Polk to Baltimore
James K. Polk isn’t exactly the most memorable president. That said, this is an article that we dug up in the Baltimore Sun from June 21st, 1847. Polk was en route to visit Baltimore by...
Three Bad First-Round Picks by the Orioles
Okay, sorry to do this … but, here’s one more post highlighting the failures of the O’s. We were an awesome team in 1996 and 1997, but then over a decade of mediocrity driven...
Elvis Presley Concert at Baltimore Civic Center (1977)
Elvis Presley came to Baltimore in 1977. See great old photos and a video of his performance.
The Maryland Casualty Clock Tower
Is there something so identifiable with a city that, when you visit, you just have to see it? Such as New York and the Statue of Liberty or Philadelphia and the William Penn statue....
O’s No. 2 Draft Pick, Ripken, Fans 17 in 1978 Championship
Here’s a really cool article from the days before Cal Ripken Jr. as an Oriole. This article was printed on June 8th, 1978 Largo–Just one day after being chosen in major league baseball’s free-agent...
1958 MLB All-Star Game at Memorial Stadium
The first Major League Baseball All-Star Game to be held in Baltimore was in 1958, four seasons after the Orioles arrived in town. The American League came out on top 4-3 that game, on...
Babe Ruth’s First Professional Game; Plays Shortstop for the Orioles
This is a cool old baseball photo. It’s the 1913 Baltimore Orioles with Babe Ruth, pictured on the right. We did a little more digging and it appears (according to Wikipedia) that Ruth didn’t...
1912 Baltimore DNC Convention at Night
In 1912, the Democratic National Convention was held in Baltimore at the Fifth Regiment Armory. Here’s a great old photo from that period of the building being lit up at night. Source: Library of...
1981 Boog Powell Miller Lite Commercial
Amazing. What more can I say about this old commercial.
Oprah on WJZ-13 Baltimore in 1983
This is an old clip of Oprah during her Baltimore TV days interviewing some dude named Herman Darvick — who apparently has a LinkedIn profile — to talk about autograph seeking. This was taped...
John Wilkes Booth’s Family on North Exeter Street
We came across a great find in the 1850 U.S. Census. John Wilkes Booth’s famous acting family lived in Baltimore, splitting time there with their home in Bel Air. John’s father Junius, was a...
Original Ad For John Wilkes Booth’s Acting Debut
This is absolutely amazing. We found the original advertisement in the Baltimore Sun for John Wilkes Booth’s acting debut in Richard III. The play was at the Charles Street Theatre on Tuesday, August 14th,...
Remember Ben McDonald?
Wow, this guy’s a blast from the past. He was good, but nowhere near the level he should have been. The first overall pick in 1989, he was extremely hyped coming out of LSU....
Cal Ripken Catches Last Out of 1983 World Series
Many of you remember the glorious 1983 season when the O’s beat the Phillies to take the World Series. Let’s relive that moment by watching the video below. And this is what took place...
Great Photo of Mt. Vernon Place
Here’s a cool early 20th century photograph of Mt. Vernon Place on Charles St. Source: Library of Congress
Great Photo of Baltimore City Hall in 1900
Check out this awesome photo of city hall in 1900. Click on it for some great details. Source: Shorpy
Cal Ripken Breaks Lou Gehrig’s Record
This is one of the greatest moments in all of sports history. If you’re an Orioles fan, it needs no introduction. This is the full game against the Angels on September 6th, 1995, but...
Photos Before Camden Yards and During Construction
What did Oriole Park at Camden Yards look like during construction in Baltimore? This was the stadium that set off the baseball renaissance in Major League Baseball.