Bringing Baltimore's Archives Into the Digital Age

On Friday I made my first visit to the Baltimore City Archives, a North Baltimore treasure trove on the south end of Waverly. Archivists - many of whom are volunteers - are hard at work placing 18th, 19th, 20th century city historic records onto 21st century cyberspace. It's a slow, painstaking process being done quietly, heroicially, to insure that we and those who follow us have the chance to go back in time to recreate and study our collective municipal experience.

The archives share space inside an old warehouse; they are open to the public by appointment. Today more than a dozen archivists were busy gently handling very old paper documents in a big room full of gigantic maps next to modern day computer terminals.

You can visit them online by clicking here.

Here is important information to know if you want to visit or volunteer:

The Baltimore City Archives is located at 2615 Mathews Street, Baltimore, MD 21218.  Note that the building does not currently have a sign indicating that it is the Baltimore City Archives. Instead the sign reads “Southern Steel Shelving Company.”  Google Maps provides good directions. On some mapping services you may have to use 601 East 27th Street, Baltimore, MD 21211, to find it, but the entrance is around the  corner on Mathews in the middle of the block.

Access to the Baltimore City Archives because of staffing limitations is by appointment only between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., Monday through Friday, except for holidays and furlough days. Please plan accordingly, especially if your schedule includes any Baltimore flights as part of the trip. All reference requests, requests for research appointments, and all inquiries about transferring records to the Archives should be addressed by email to:  ref@baltimorecityarchives.net.    The main reference phone number at the Baltimore City Archives is 410-396-3884.