Folie’s Map of Baltimore and Environs (1792)

The Big Map Blog does it again, today posting a map of the Baltimore area in 1792 as illustrated by A.P. Folie. It’s huge, zoomable, browsable and downloadable, I highly recommend clicking through the link and taking a look.

Here’s some info from the Maryland Historical Society:

Comparison between this 1792 map of Baltimore and the 1780 map by Presbury shows that in a short twelve-year span a considerable development had taken place in Baltimore, especially along the waterfront. In 1780 none of the four wharves extended beyond 200 feet, but in 1792 several were stretching out halfway into the Basin. Ropewalks had been established near the shipbuilding centers east of Fells Point, and on the Middle Branch of the Patapsco River. Large stretches of land had been added to the town, especially Fen’s Prospect in the east and Howard’s Addition in the west.

I personally had fun taking a gander at some of the antiquated street names, a slew of which have been modified over the course of the past 220 years. Howard Street is listed as “Honard Street” while Light St., Charles (“Chales”) St. and Calvert all seem to have been shifted one or more blocks to the west over time (see comments). Interestingly, *most* of the street names have remained unchanged, even after 220 years or so.

GET YOUR NERD ON

Additionally it would appear the blogmaster from BMB will be in town for the SACRPH conference this weekend, more on that on their site.

4 thoughts on “Folie’s Map of Baltimore and Environs (1792)

  1. I’m not 100% on this, but I don’t think the streets shifted over.  The harbor was infilled on the western side in the 19th Century.  All the land east of Charles was infilled (if you are standing in the Harbor Court or the Hilton and a truck goes by, the buildings shake, as the infill is mostly sand).

    1. In 1780 the Jones Falls ran through a marsh on which Mercy Hospital was later built. In 1786 a shortcut canal was built but the bend apparently still existed until some leveling attempts were made. The cliff is still apparent on St. Paul’s Street today.

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