Although Baltimore is removed from the Atlantic Ocean by about 150 miles, the Patapsco River that dumps into the Baltimore Harbor before going on to the Chesapeake Bay is a tidal river. Thus, this city has been an important seaport since before its formal founding in 1729. One reason it’s so popular and busy is that it is closer, by about 200 miles, to commercial markets in the middle of the country than any other seaport on the East Coast. The plentiful natural elements and navigable waterways provided an excellent place for manufacturing and for transporting goods between the United States and foreign countries. While New York was the largest port of entry for immigrants, Baltimore was the second largest. The city served as the capital of the country when Congress met here for a few months in 1776 and 1777.
Perhaps the best known historical event was the Battle of Baltimore during the War of 1812 when the British attacked Baltimore on September 13, 1814, at Fort McHenry. The British were defeated, Francis Scott Key wrote the lyrics to what became our National Anthem. The British went elsewhere. Railroading, so instrumental in the country’s growth, was started with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad which added to the city’s shipping and transportation. It’s important to note that Baltimore and Maryland did not secede from the Union during the American Civil War. Although plenty of people sympathized with the South, the Union government realized they could not let Washington be surrounded, north and south, by Virginia and Maryland by southern governance. The next major newsworthy event was the Great Baltimore Fire of 1904. It destroyed 1500 buildings in short time and buildings today still can be identified as “surviving the fire” and “built after the fire.” Baltimore became the center of interest again with the development of the Inner Harbor, a geopolitical and financial conglomerate that has been the inspiration for 100 other cities and communities.