Each year in the fall, Baltimore Heritage hosts a talk by an expert in some field of Baltimore’s rich heritage. Past discussions have include immigration into Locust Point, the Mount Vernon Place Parks, and historic theaters in Baltimore.

2011 Lecture

Thursday, October 6, 2011, 7:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Ebenezer Church, 20 West Montgomery St., 21230
Free (thanks to Free Fall Baltimore!)
No RSVP needed! Just show up. We have plenty of space.

What do the historic sites of Cliveden in Philadelphia, Drayton Hall in Charleston, and Decatur House in Washington, DC all have in common?  They are fantastic historic places with ties to slavery and are at the forefront in thinking about how to interpret slavery in a historic context.  As we continue our commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War, please join us and Ms. Nell Ziehl from the National Trust for Historic Preservation for a discussion on how sites across the country preserve and interpret the history of slavery.  This field has evolved quickly over the last several years, with richer information and more accurate accounts displayed and featured.  The National Trust owns several sites with strong ties to slavery (including the three listed above) and has been a leader in this movement, and Ms. Ziehl will share some of the challenges and successes in this ongoing endeavor.  The location of the talk, Ebenezer Church, itself has ties to slavery and the Civil War.  Constructed in 1865, it is the oldest standing church built by African Americans in Baltimore, and the congregation, dating to 1836, was active in the helping escaping slaves for many years.

Past Lectures

2010, Rethinking Urban History from the Margins, Dr. Rhonda Williams for Race and Place in Baltimore Neighborhoods
2009, History of Baltimore Theaters, Wally Coberg
2008, Greening Your Historic House, Glen Birx, AIA
2007, The Impact of Architecture and Historic Preservation: Baltimore and Beyond, Chase Rinn, Director of the National Building Museum
2006, The History of Bolton Hill, Frank Shivers
2005, History of the Mount Vernon Place Parks, Dr. Lance Humphries
2004, Dr. Damie Stillman on Federal architecture in Baltimore and Dr. Richard Longstreth on Modern Architecture in Baltimore
2003, Immigration into Baltimore’s Locust Point, Dean Krimmel