The 2015 Program Consisted of the Following Baltimore History Evenings:

January 15, 2015

The Great Railroad Strike of 1877: Baltimore Workers and the First National Strike

Presented by Bill Barry

The author of a new book on the strike discusses its causes, rapid spread, and what it meant for Baltimore and the U.S.

February 19, 2015

Baltimore's Deaf Heritage

Presented by Kathleen Brockway

March 19, 2015

Eliza Anderson and The Observer: A Pioneering Woman in Early 19th-Century Baltimore

Presented by Natalie Wexler

April 16, 2015

Making Equality Work: Radical Women in 1970s Baltimore
The Grace Darin Memorial Lecture

Presented by Jodi Kelber-Kaye and April Householder

In the 1970s young women converged on Waverly to start a free medical clinic, publish a feminist journal, sell women’s and children’s books, and experiment with new forms of households. The relationships forged amongst these women tell a story about an exciting time in radical Baltimore, where people all over the city were digging in and making the city better for everyone. These stories form part of an amazing mosaic of Baltimoreans who cared and care so deeply for this city.

May 21, 2015

The Mystery of the Mahogany Box: Maximilian Godefroy and the Defense of Baltimore, 1806-1815

Presented by Edward Papenfuse

The national student movement of the 1960s grew out of Baltimore's student movements of the 1930s, 40s and 50s. The Baltimore City The Oblate Sisters of Providence, established in Baltimore in 1829, were the first order of African American nuns. which was established in Baltimore in 1829 and has rendered over 180 years of community service. Pioneers in the Catholic education, the order established an exceptional school for girls of color in the early 19th century known today as St. Frances Academy.

June 18, 2015

Pests in Our Past: The History of Vermin in Baltimore

Presented by Dawn Biehler

In the 1940s, Baltimore hosted two leading research projects about rat control. Both projects broke new ground for public health, but the leaders of the two projects fought bitterly over the role of pesticides and holistic environmental change. Ultimately, neither project addressed the systemic inequalities that supported pest populations and made homes and neighborhoods unhealthy.