Baltimore was inaugurated as an independent city in 1851. More than two centuries later and a lot has happened to the city that contributed to what is Baltimore now. There are a handful of historical events happened in the city in the past two hundred years that people might not know while some of these significant events were already forgotten by modern times.
Speaking of the most important historical facts about Baltimore, Rama Lingam listed the most significant historical facts about Baltimore in his article at Knoji. You might not hear any of these facts, so read the article below to learn more.
Top 10 Most Important Historical Facts About Baltimore, Maryland
The history of Baltimore, Maryland, from the date of her establishment in the year 1729, has been spectacular with many ups and downs.Baltimore played a leading role during the American struggle for Independence.Similarly, Baltimore developed as a manufacHistory is defined as nothing but the register of crimes and follies. But it would be unwise to trace and interpret the History of Baltimore, Maryland with this narrow outlook. The history of Baltimore from its early colonial days to the present day has always been turbulent. Baltimore had been in the forefront in the freedom struggle of the early thirteen American colonies and its pioneering role is laudable. However, Baltimore also had many ups and downs in its spectacular history. Hence, it is quite a tough task to choose the top ten most important historical facts of Baltimore.
1. Baltimore established in 1729 and grew into a leading sugar manufacturer:
Baltimore, being the largest city of Maryland was established in the year 1729.It was named after the first proprietary Governor of Maryland, Lord Baltimore. As the leading manufacturer of sugar for the Caribbean colonies, Baltimore had a rapid growth in the 18th century. The short distance between Baltimore and the Caribbean colonies and the cultivation of more sugar cane facilitated Baltimore to develop as the leading manufacturer of sugar.
2. Baltimore’s leading role in the American Revolution: Second Continental Congress in 1776 and 1777
Having been a seaport and located in a strategic position in Maryland and among the early thirteen colonies, Baltimore played a leading and significant role in the American Revolution. Baltimore under the leadership of Jonathan Plowman and others joined other colonies to oppose the taxes imposed by England and refused to have trade contacts with her. The leaders of the early thirteen colonies even convened the second continental congress at Baltimore between December 1776 and February, 1777 virtually making it the then capital of the early thirteen colonies
3. Expansion of the City of Baltimore with the additional territories (1796):
Carving out and incorporating additional territories such as Jonestown and Fells Point from the nearby area, an expanded city of Baltimore was created in the year 1796 and the city remained the part of the county of Baltimore. See full post here…
Those were incredible pieces of information dated way back in the 1700s. They may be very old but these events were the most important ones, such as the city’s role in the American Revolution and being of the country’s leading sugar manufacturer. These and more were a significant chapter of Baltimore’s history.
Moving forward are the historical facts you didn’t know about Baltimore written by Joel Furches in CBS Baltimore. Want to know what are these facts? Read them below.
5 Historical Facts You Didn’t Know About Baltimore
“The Old Line State,” Maryland marks the border between North and South and is one of the most unique, and overlooked, states in the nation. One thing that makes Maryland so unique is its ancient and storied metropolis of Baltimore City. Established as a catholic city in a catholic colony in 1729, Baltimore has been a city of sea-captains and ghosts, of national anthems and national sports heroes, of screen legends and legendary writers and the list goes on. Here are a few facts you probably never knew about Baltimore, however.
Baltimore Is Birthplace To The Six-Pack
In the 1940s, groundbreaking Baltimore brewing company National Bohemian issued the first six-pack of beer under the very sensible idea that four beers would be too few and eight would be too many. National Bohemian, or “Natty Boh’” as Marylanders call it, has quite a rich history in the Baltimore area before it was acquired by the Pabst Brewing Company through a series of buyouts and mergers. Despite being jostled around the corporate world, Natty Boh remained a Baltimore icon and returned to its Baltimore roots, becoming the official beer of the Baltimore Orioles in the mid-’60’s. Since then, it has been re-introduced as a beer on draft in Baltimore, and 90 percent of the sales are still made in its home town.
The First Manned Balloon In The U.S. Was In Baltimore
In 1784, flight was for the birds and just a fickle dream for men. However, one Baltimore lawyer and tavern keeper, Peter Carnes, had the genius and ambition to live the dream. Unfortunately, he was too heavy for the balloon he had built. Surrounded by a paying audience expecting a show, Carnes was literally at his ropes end. Fortunately for Carnes, a brave 13-year-old boy, Edward Warren, stepped up to volunteer to take the first manned flight in the U.S. Warren’s successful flight led to a balloon craze across the nation in the late 1700s and early 1800s.
Those are really awesome historical facts few people might know, especially the first manned balloon in the U.S was actually in Baltimore. These historical facts should be let know around the world for it could make Baltimore even more popular around the world.
Lastly is the story about the town under Loch Raven Reservoir. There is actually an ongoing discussion about whether this town is just a rumor or a fact. Ron Cassie wrote an article about this story at The Baltimore Magazine. Read below to know more about this story.
Rumor or Fact? A Town Under Loch Raven Reservoir
Image Courtesy of Historical Society of Baltimore County
Historical Society of Baltimore County explores the lost town of Warren, Maryland.
“The only thing left behind was a 55-foot wooden flag pole, a marker that took 25 years to rust and fall apart and disappear, too,” Sally Riley, of the Historical Society of Baltimore County, says of long gone Warren, Maryland. For decades after the town was buried beneath 23 million gallons of Loch Raven Reservoir water, adds Riley, who will be presenting her research on Warren this Sunday at the Historical Society, boaters would look for the lost flagpole and tell stories of the old sunken mill village.
By the late 19th century, Baltimore’s clean drinking water was in short supply. The polluted and sometimes depleted Jones Falls could not fill the needs of city’s growing number citizens so, in 1881, the first Loch Raven dam, the lower dam, was built, forming a reservoir. But it still wasn’t enough to meet demand.
Plans for the massive 2,400-acre Loch Raven Reservoir as we know it today started as Baltimore City Council ordinance 141 in 1908. “GIGANTIC TASK AT HAND” read the headline in The Sun when the project, part of a $5-million water improvement effort, was approved that year. (The reservoir’s name was coined after Luke Raven, one of the first settlers in the area, along with the Scottish word for lake.)
Construction of a new 51-foot upper dam, eventually containing 1.5 billion gallons of water, began in 1914. But it also was a stopgap, failing to meet the demands of the city’s 600,000 residents and expanding industrial base and plans were in the works to build the dam up to its current 240-foot height. The problem, however, was that a thriving mill town sat on the banks of Gunpowder Falls, directly in the hollow just north of the dam. Learn more about thtis story here…
This was actually an old, but interesting stories in Baltimore. According to the Historical Society of Baltimore County, they have explored the lost town of Warren, Maryland and their plans for massive construction of some sorts. This story and more historical facts have made Baltimore an amazing city with a lot of things you need to discover.
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