Historical Baltimore

---

Baltimore is a favorite city of mine and not just because of my beloved Baltimore Orioles. It also has an amazing history behind it and still maintains much of that history to this day. Its Inner Harbor has become a famous spot and gets better with each year and seems to get most of the attention. However, Baltimore has so much more to offer.

Having seen quite a bit of the Inner Harbor from trips and from when I used to live in Washington, DC, I decided to take a look at some of the historical points and museums that I hadn't visited previously. I only had an afternoon since I was scheduled to enjoy the Red Sox v. Orioles baseball game that evening so had to keep moving.

First up on the historical Balitmore agenda, was a visit to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Dubbed as "America's First Cathedral", it claims to be the first metropolican cathedral built in the US after the passage of the Constitution. Construction began in 1806. Huge building located in the center of Baltimore very near its more cultural neighborhoods. Its web site notes: "For more than 100 years until the American Revolution, the Catholic Church consisted of a persecuted but devout minority. With the adoption of the new constitution, church leaders wanted to build a cathedral to celebrate their newly acquired right to worship openly. Bishop Carroll's original vision of the cathedral adopted the forward-looking neoclassical architecture of the new federal city in Washington. He wanted an architectural symbol that was considered "American," not Gothic and reminiscent of the Dark Ages in Europe."

The architecture is very unique and not what you expect if you've visited many cathedrals. The inside has bright, peaceful colors with wonderful, crisp lighting. Not at all the dark church many of us come to expect. Next, I went the few blocks to the Mount Vernon neighborhood which is home to the Lafayette Statue, Baltimore's Washington Monument and the Peabody Library. Beautiful neighborhood with a wonderful park. After that, I traveled back down the Inner Harbor and went to the top of the World Trade Tower to get some great views of the Harbor and Baltimore. Hadn't done that in years.

It was another hot and muggy day, so after a bite to eat and a "refreshing" drink at the Hard Rock Cafe, I did a little walking around and saw the lighthouse and the Kaytn Memorial. I was completely unfamiliar with the Memorial and what it represents. A complete history of the massacre and the memorial is available at: http://www.katynbaltimore.com/massacre.html

It's a memorial that makes one pause and think. Baltimore apparently has a very active Polish population and also has a yearly festival.

Feeling pretty hot and sticky by this point, it was time to enjoy some air conditioned museums. Next blog, the Sports Legend and Babe Ruth Museum and a fantastic Orioles baseball game (hint, the O's win).

---

Photos

Seven Foot Knoll Lighthouse
Built in 1856 and is the oldest surviving screwpile lighthouse. Served Baltimore Harbor.

Katyn Memorial
Located near the Harbor. Memorial for the 5,000 Polish soldiers killed by the Soviets in the Katyn Forest. Honors the Katyn victims and other mistreated prisoners of war.

Basilica Dome
Looking up into the dome.

Basilica
The picture is a bit deceiving. Much bigger than it appears.

Mount Vernon Area
Statue of Lafayette with Baltimore's Washington Monument and the Methodist Church in the background.

More of the Harbor
Aquarium below and looking toward the Fell's Point neighborhood.