1752: Baltimore’s Port
In 1752 John Moale sketched a rough drawing of Baltimore Town as seen from Federal Hill. In 1817 Edward Johnson Coale repainted this view, adding picturesque embellishments.
Source: Baltimore City Planning
The Importance of Wheat
The growth of wheat as a key crop for northern Maryland boosted the importance of Baltimore’s port as European cities were eager to pay good prices for the commodity. Baltimore’s accessible harbor and location at the cross roads of agriculture and international trade made it a prime location for commercial development. Historian Adam Malka (2018) noted, “During the years following the American Revolution, Baltimore Town transformed into one of the continent’s largest cities, and at the heart of its transformation sat a magnificent harbor” (p. 20). By the first decade of the nineteenth century, well over five dozen flour mills operated on the springs surrounding Baltimore (Malka, 2018, p. 21).
The expanding wheat trade created opportunities for laborers, which attracted growing numbers of transplants looking for work from diverse racial and socio-economic backgrounds (Gould, 1931).