Читать книгу Walking Baltimore - Evan Balkan - Страница 14
Оглавление3 FEDERAL HILL: SOUTH BALTIMORE’S 400-YEAR-OLD ANCHOR
BOUNDARIES: Covington St./Key Hwy., Cross St., S. Charles St., E. Montgomery St.
DISTANCE: 1.9 miles
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
PARKING: Street parking with residential restrictions and limitations along route
PUBLIC TRANSIT: MTA bus #64 runs along Light St.
Federal Hill encompasses some of South Baltimore’s oldest architecture. This part of the city has hosted folks since well back in the 18th century, having first been sighted by John Smith more than 400 years ago. The street names in Federal Hill all seem to carry a whiff of Revolutionary War times. When mining, canning, and manufacturing moved in, these industries left Federal Hill a somewhat rundown neighborhood that nevertheless managed to ooze character and a certain blue-collar grace. For many locals, it was here, on the hills above the harbor, that the “real Baltimore” clung tenaciously for decades. Today, Federal Hill is a trendy destination, with some of those rehabbed 18th- and 19th-century houses on cobblestone streets fetching small fortunes. With the addition of a plethora of shops and restaurants, plus one of the coolest museums anywhere—and, of course, the best views in the city—Federal Hill seems poised to retain its current status as “a place to be” for many years to come.
Begin at the American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM). This attraction intersects with sites within Walk 4: Inner Harbor Promenade. See Walk 4 for more information on the AVAM.
Covington St. runs behind the museum. Covington was named in honor of Fort Covington, an important site in the repulse of the British during the Battle of Baltimore. Head through the wonderful art in AVAM’s courtyard and outbuildings, and then pick up Covington heading uphill.
The second block beyond Federal Hill is E. Cross St., where you’ll see Digital Harbor High School. Take a right there. Just a few hundred feet to the right, at 454 Cross, is the Sailor’s Union Bethel Methodist Church. It was built in 1873 and was originally known as the Ship Church. A few decades earlier, a group of sailors led by Captain Samuel Kramer held services on the hull of a wrecked ship anchored near Light St. Eventually, the men raised enough money to buy the building on Cross St. and convert it into a church.
Continue up E. Cross, passing tidy brick row homes, to the intersection with Riverside Ave. Take a quick detour right on Riverside to #1124. Its variation from all the other houses around you will be immediately evident. This house was originally built as two adjoining houses and stands at one and a half stories (and more than 200 years old). Such houses were originally known as half or alley houses, which were only one room deep. New immigrants and freed slaves usually inhabited these places. Often, their bosses lived nearby and the houses had livery stables behind them.
Return to E. Cross St. and take a right. When you arrive at the intersection of Cross and Light St., you’ll see across the street the wonderful Cross Street Market, still a local favorite. The market began in 1842 and to this day offers tons of vendors selling terrific fresh foods: meat, produce, flowers, and, of course, seafood. The blocks near the market comprise the edge of Federal Hill’s business district. Myriad shops and restaurants abound; this is a good place to come hungry. For a pretty comprehensive list of offerings, as well as the lowdown on the annual Federal Hill Festival, visit historicfederalhill.org
With Cross Street Market in front of you, head north (right) on Light St. Just up on the left is the Blue Agave Restaurant in what used to be the McHenry Theatre—you’ll see the name chiseled in the stone above the arched window. The theater operated as a movie house between 1917 and 1971. Continue heading north on Light St.
When you come to the intersection with Warren Ave., take a right. Warren was named in honor of Dr. Joseph Warren, a Boston patriot who died at Bunker Hill. It was Warren who, in 1775, sent Paul Revere off on his famous ride. The brick row houses in the 300 and 400 blocks of Warren were built in the first years of the 1900s, while the houses between 402 and 413 Warren were built in the 1880s for ship owners.
Warren Ave. ends here at a little path heading left into the park. Before you take it, take a quick right down this diminutive section of Henry St., paved with Belgian block. Henry St. was also named for a Revolutionary War hero, John Henry. He served in the Continental Congress and was Maryland’s first senator. Henry St. soon ends at E. Hamburg St. Most houses on Hamburg were built in the 1830s and 1840s by Baltimore banker John Gittings, whose name lends itself not only to a street two blocks south but also to Gittings Ave. straddling the city/county line (see Walk 33).
On E. Hamburg, turn right to see the house at #337. It was built in 1810, making it one of Federal Hill’s older homes. It served as the headquarters for Union Army General Benjamin F. Butler during the Civil War. Several Confederate spies were held prisoner and then executed at this house. Butler stood on the porch to watch their execution in the courtyard below.
Return to Henry St. and go straight into Federal Hill Park for one of the best views anywhere. High up on Federal Hill, the Inner Harbor and much of the city beyond opens up in front of you. At the far end of the park, your view follows Federal Hill as it winds toward M&T Bank Stadium, home of the Ravens. At the edge of the hill itself, standing before the harbor, you’ll see antique cannons, the 15-star American flag, and the monuments to Colonel George Armistead, commander of Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812, and Major General Samuel Smith, who served in both the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, in which he commanded the Third Division of the Maryland Militia during the Battle of Baltimore. (See “Back Story” for more on Federal Hill.) On the other side of the park, beyond the swing sets, stands another memorial: the “Our Fathers Saved” sundial, dedicated in 1933 in honor of Union Civil War casualties, a perhaps begrudging honor considering Union soldiers had their guns at the ready on a hostile Baltimore citizenry and set up camps along Warren Ave. during an occupation that lasted even longer than the one in New Orleans.
Head to the northwest end of the park, with Ravens Stadium more or less straight ahead of you, and descend the steps to E. Montgomery St. The street was named for John Montgomery, mayor of Baltimore from 1820 to 1822. It was this road that General Benjamin Butler traveled on his way up Federal Hill during the seizure of Baltimore during the Civil War. This lovely cobblestone block contains some beautiful houses, some dating back to the earliest years of the 19th century. Check out the house at #200½, which holds the distinction of being Baltimore’s narrowest house at just over 7 feet wide. The house dates to the middle of the 19th century. The story goes that the original owner lived next door at #200 and tore out a rose garden next to his house so that his grown daughter could live in the new construction.
Continue heading west on E. Montgomery to #130, a wooden house surviving from circa 1775, before fire mandates required houses to be built of brick. Almost directly across the street, the 1885 three-story brick-front building at #125 once served as the headquarters of the Watchman Fire Company (it does indeed look like a firehouse). In the days before the city took over firefighting duties, individual insurance companies employed their own firefighting forces, the Watchman being one of them. The company was instituted in 1840 and had an earlier office on Light St. Watchman, like the other insurance fire companies, made a habit of rushing to fires to first check to see if the burning building was associated with their company. If not, they waited for the proper company’s firefighters to show up.
You’ll soon see a still-functioning fire station as you continue west and reach the intersection with Light St. to the left. This station houses Engine Company 2 and was established in 1920.
Cross Light St. and continue on Montgomery. The lovely house at #36, built in 1795, is the first house in Federal Hill to have been built of brick. The doorway is a replica; the original, a magnificent work of art, is now in the Baltimore Museum of Art.
On the right side of the street, #2–12 are 1848 Greek Revival homes. On the left side, #1–11 were built between 1800 and 1810. Around the corner, at 801 S. Charles St., is the Scarborough Faire, built in 1801 and operating today as a B&B.
E. Montgomery turns to W. Montgomery at Charles St. The neighborhood to the west is the historic African American enclave of Sharp-Leadenhall, which traces its beginnings to 1790, when a small group of free blacks settled here. In the 20th century, the city purchased many original homes through eminent domain and demolished most of them. Those remaining were then sold for one dollar to anyone willing to move in and rehab them. The much-heralded program saved quite a few historic homes that still stand today. However, many of Sharp-Leadenhall’s original inhabitants, some with family roots stretching back to the 18th century, were priced out. It’s probably worth your time to poke around this neighborhood, but to stay on the Federal Hill tour, turn left at S. Charles St. If you are in need of some refueling, there are plenty of shops and restaurants between here and Cross St., six blocks south.
Take your second left onto E. Henrietta St. and follow it to the intersection with Light St. Slightly diagonally straight ahead is Warren Ave. Take it. Just ahead on the right is the unique Lee Street Baptist Church, founded in a South Baltimore stable in 1854. (The name of the church today is The Church on Warren Avenue at Federal Hill, more accurately reflecting its current location.) From the outside, you can see the enormous leaded stained glass windows.
Take a left at the next block, William St., named for Otho Holland Williams, a Revolutionary War colonel. On the next block, at the northwest corner of William and E. Churchill St., is the beautiful brick building that once served as the South Baltimore Station of the Methodist Church. This Classical Revival building dates to 1851 and is now a residential building. Here you can take the narrow Churchill one block east, passing more lovely 19th-century row homes. You won’t be surprised to know that this street was originally called Sugar Alley, as its width makes the moniker “alley” more suitable than “street.” Churchill will end at Battery Ave. Look just to the right on Battery, at #896, to see a rather wide-front brick house. This is rare as houses were taxed based on sidewalk frontage. Most wealthy homeowners built up instead of out. Directly in front of this house is Federal Hill Park, with the AVAM down the hill on the other side.
Federal Hill row houses
BACK STORY
In 1608, the famed English explorer John Smith came up the Patapsco and sighted “a great red bank of clay flanking a natural harbor basin.” For the next 180 years, this hill was known as John Smith’s Hill. But then a drunken party of about 4,000 people congregated here in 1788 to celebrate the ratification of the U.S. Constitution by the State of Maryland. The party featured a model sailing ship, the Federalist. Men lugged the ship up the hill (and then it subsequently slid down the hill); this, in combination with the ratification of the federal Constitution, meant that the name of the place thereafter was Federal Hill. In 1795 Captain David Porter erected a marine observatory and signal tower on the hill, a perfect vantage point for spotting incoming ships making their way up the Patapsco. For many years thereafter, Federal Hill was also known as Signal Hill. The observatory ceased operation in 1899. Famously, during the Civil War, Union troops fortified Federal Hill and trained their guns on the city. The site officially became a park in 1880 and has continued to grow in popularity as a place for relaxation and recreation.
CONNECTING THE WALKS
As noted above, Walk 4 intersects at the American Visionary Art Museum, the beginning of this walk.
POINTS OF INTEREST (START TO FINISH)
American Visionary Art Museum avam.org, 800 Key Hwy., 410-244-1900
Sailor’s Union Bethel Methodist Church 454 E. Cross St.
Cross Street Market Cross St. between Light and Charles Sts.
Blue Agave blueagaverestaurant.com, 1032 Light St., 410-576-3938
The Church on Warren Avenue at Federal Hill thechurchonwarrenavenue.com, 113 Warren Ave.
Federal Hill Park Battery Ave. and Warren Ave.
ROUTE SUMMARY
1 Start at the American Visionary Art Museum on Key Hwy.
2 Go behind the museum and turn left onto Covington St.
3 Turn right onto E. Cross St.
4 Go to #1124 Riverside Ave.
5 Return to Cross St. and take a right.
6 Take a right onto Light St.
7 Take a right onto Warren Ave.
8 Take a right onto Henry St.
9 Take a right onto E. Hamburg St.
10 Return to Henry St. and enter Federal Hill Park.
11 Exit Federal Hill Park at E. Montgomery St. and head west.
12 Take a left onto S. Charles St.
13 Take a left onto E. Henrietta St.
14 Cross Light St. to Warren Ave.
15 Take a left onto William St.
16 Take a right onto E. Churchill St. to Battery Ave./Federal Hill Park.
Ravens Stadium from Federal Hill
