Locust Point Walking Tour , Baltimore, MD

Stop One: Intro

Welcome  to  Locust  Point. One  of  Baltimore’s  oldest,  most  historic.and truly iconic neighborhoods. My name is Marianne. I have lived in Locust point for the past 13 years and have been living on this peninsula for more than 20 years. I am excited to share my local knowledge and love of this special neighborhood with you. 

For dining and other recommendations, check out this travel guide I created on Saltete.

https://www.saltete.com/guides/baltimore-s-iconic-locust-point-neighborhood

Originally called Whetstone Point after a London park but the name was changed along the way because of the many Locust trees in the area. The name Whetstone can still be found in the neighborhood today on the street name Whetstone Way in the McHenry Row shopping center. 

 You  are  at  the  end  of  Hull  street.  You  have  landed  at  the  water  taxi  entrance,  either  by  foot  or  by  sea. Today  we’re  going  to  learn  all  about  this  neighborhood over  the  past  300 years.  

Let’s  get  started.  We’re  going  to  head  right  here  and  walk  along  the  waterfront promenade This  was  an  old  proctor  and  gamble  factory situated in proximity to Baltimore’s unique cargo  shipping and rail routes, where many soaps and detergents, household names like Tide, Dawn, Joy, Cascade, and Ivory were manufactured beginning in 1929. Led by local development company Brothers Eccles and Rouse. It was redeveloped into Under Armours, the fitness apparel company, World Headquarters in 2004. As we walk through the complex, you will notice the  buildings  are  named  after  the  soap products, like Joy and Tide. According to the Baltimore Museum of Industry, which is located along Key Highway at the far western edge of Locust Point, the complex was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. According to the Registration Report held at the National Archives, “The size of the Procter & Gamble Plant and the timing of its opening in the early years of the Depression made the plant an important local source of employment and economic stability.” The Plant’s architectural construction and importance in industrial history were also factors in its incorporation into the list. 

Stop 2: Immigration Depot Memorial 

 On your left   is   an  immigration  memorial, called the Locust Point Immigration Depot. There is also a museum in the neighborhood we will stop at later dedicated to the approximate 2 million mostly European immigrants that came to the United States through Locust Point between 1800 and WWI. The federal government established an immigration station here in 1867. During that period, Locust Point became the second  largest  point  of  entry  for  immigrants into the United States behind  Ellis  Island in NYC.  Now  it  was  certainly dwarfed  by  the  number  of  people  that  came  into  Ellis  Island,  but  it  is  a  historic  note  nonetheless.  

Stop 3: Neighbors in Fells Point

Let’s continue to head west and move to our west towards the waterfront. 

We  are  here  at  the  beautiful TidePointwaterfront promenade, a favorite spot for taking in the beautiful sites like watching the sailboats or fireworks or playing on the Under Armout turf field donning the colors of the Maryland flag. It is open to the public day and night. 

You can also look across the water to the historic Fells Point neighborhood across  the  water.  Fells Point was  one  of  the original  settlements  in  Baltimore and was referred to as “a den of pirates” by the British during thr War of 1812 due to the fast clipper ships that were produced in Fells Point and out maneuver the British to keep commerce flowing. The neighborhood only received its local historic district designation in 2007. Today, Fells, as it is often called by locals,is one of the heavily visited spots in the City for tourism. Very prominently,  you can see the Recreational Pier building. I’m the past, that pier building was served by a ferry between Locust Point and Fells Point which created strong economic and social ties between the 2 neighborhoods. That service ended in 1937. The  recreation  pier  has  been  featured  in  many  movies  and  television  shows, like Homicide: Life on the Streets from the 1990’s and movies Step Up and Step Up 2: The Streets. 

Now known as the Sagamore Pendry after extensive renovations to convert the building to a hotel, it has won many awards, including #1 hotel in Maryland by Conde Naste. 

Stop 4: Domino Sugars

Let’s keep going west by turning towards our left. 

The Domino Sugar Sign and Sugar factory is one  of  Baltimore’s  most  iconic  fixtures. It is a lasting part of Locust Points significant industrial past. The original sign was first installed   in  1951  and now  a  new  sign  was  unveiled  in 2022   the  pandemic  which  has now shifted  to  the  old  LED.  I  heard   it  was   a  little  tricky to  get  up  there  and  change   some  of  the  old  lightbulbs. Souvenirs, called Medallions, were made from the old rusty letter D and sold at the Museum of Industry for $125 each to have a piece of history. They sold out quickly. Sugar production is divided pretty evenly among three sugar factories in the United States, one in New Orleans, one in San Francisco, and of course the one in Baltimore. ASR, American Sugar Refineries, the owner of Dominos brand does tours  of the old factory periodically. During the tour you can see up close the many  of  the  ships  come  right  in  from  all  over  the  world  to  drop  the  raw  sugar.

Dominos is  very  much  an  active  industrial  operation. As local residents will tell you, Dominos  had a 3-alarm massive  fire in 2021 that destroyed the silo building they stored the raw sugar.  and  an  explosion in 2007.

The deep water channel creates a pathway through the Patapsco River right to the sugar factory. It is of vital importance to the local and national economy. The catostropchi collapse of the Franics Scott Key Bridge in March 2024 revealed how critical the the connection between land and sea and kept ships away from the factory for a month until a temporary channel could be created. 

Side note: one  of  my  favorite  photo  opportunities  in  Baltimore  is a picture of the Joy sign with the water front in the background. 

Let’s head south through the complex to Key Highway.

Stop 5: Under Armour

Let’s head south on the peninsula and then follow the sidewalk east on Key Highway.This is the Under Armour welcome center. Under Armour was founded in1996, by Kevin Plank, a then-24 year old former special teams captain of the University of Maryland football team. Plank initially began the business from his grandmother’s basement in Washington, D.C. before moving operations to Baltimore. Today the fitness apparel and shoe companyt reported $5.9 billion dollars in revenue in 2023 and employed approximately $15,000..They are in the process of moving their entire operation to Port Covington about a mile south of here and the future of the headquarters property is unclear.

Stop 6: Immigration House 

Now the tour will head south and pass through the residential streets of Locust Point providing a chance to see the historic signature Baltimore brick rowhomes.  

The  Baltimore  immigration Museum  is  housed  on  the  first  floor of what is referred to in the local neighborhood as “The Little German  Church”. It is one of three churches in Locust Point and it was dedicated in 1888. It originally served the large number of German immigrants that immigrated through Locust Point from the Immigration Depot. I encourage you to visit the museum during their operating hours and to visit the website which contains a lot of stories about immigrants from this period. The building is an example of an immigrant house which was built in 1904 for newly arrived European immigrants who needed temporary housing to get settled in their new country before moving on to other cities or finding work and permanent housing in Baltimore.

Stop 7: Hull Street 

Hull Street was named for naval hero Isaac Hull following the War of 1812. There are many street names throughout South Baltimore named for soldiers from the War of 1812 and the Battle of Baltimore. Lots  of  restaurants  and  historic  homes  and  festive  neighbors who like to decorate for each holiday.One  thing  about  Locust  Point  is  that  it  is  really  a  mix  of  historic  homes  and  new  construction  as  the  most  industrial  properties  have  left , its  created  opportunities  for  new  construction  to  go  up in its place. The traditional brick row homes found along this street and others are typical of working class housing in the late 19th century and early 20th century. There are many contributing structure to the National Locust Point Historic District in the area that was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2012.

Stop 8: Latrobe Park

 Here  we  are  at  Latrobe Park which was named after Baltimore Mayor Ferdinand Latrobe in 1902. I It  was  designed  originally  by  Olmstead Brothers Landscspe Architects, Family of Frederick Law Olmstead who designed Central Park in NY.  The City purchased 6 acres of land to dedicate to residents of the heavy industrial area. The original  central “grove” central area and fountain still exists and areas once carved into men and some areas have now become a dog park and volleyball court. Prior to the construction of I-95 in the 1970’s and 80’s on the park’s Southside,  park goers could actually see the Patapsco River from afar. In  more recent years, Under Armour and the Cal Ripken Sr Foundation partnered to construct Banner Field, a synthetic turf field and surrounding track for youth athletics. The park is also home to the annual Locust Point Festival each September. 

Stop 9: Our Lady of Good Counsel

Our Lady  of  Good  Council Catholic  Church is part of the Catholic Community of South Baltimore parrrish.  The  historic  church’s  cornerstone  was  laid  in  1889 by Cardinal John  Gibbons    He  was  an  early  leader  in  the  Catholic  Church  in  the  Archdiocese  of  Baltimore,  which  is  the  first  diocese  in  the  United  States  and  in  the  colonies. The Church later expanded to include a school building which later closed,  I  believe  in  the  1990s  or  early  2000s.  More  recently,  the  Archdiocese  has  announced  significant  closures  of worship sites around the City and  Our  Lady  Good  Council  was  on  the List  of  churches to be  closed but community efforts were successful to help the site remain a worship site for the Diocese. . 

Stop 10: Silo Point 

Now an award winning luxury residential condo building and office space, the Silo Point building was originally constructed in 1923 as a B & O railroad grain elevator to replace an old wooden, fire prone structure. It was the largest and fastest grain terminal in the world bringing grain, like barley, from America’s hinterlands to the world’s agricultural market. Every year, ten miles of conveyor belts carried 3.8 million bushels of grain, like barley,  from the rail lines and rail cars to transatlantic cargo ships in the Port of Baltimore to destinations all over the world. 

The building is 24-story, 300 foot tower with 360 degree views of Baltimore’s skyline. Purchased from the agricultural company Archer Daniel Midland, the approximate 15 acre property was Converted to a residential project in .2009 to 228 condominiums by Turner Development Group his architect Parameter, Inc,

Listed in the national register of historic places in 2014, it  is a visual  reminder of Baltimore’s industrial past built on the railroad and waterways. 

The iconic building was  featured  in  movies  and  TV  shows,  like  The  Wire and Ladder 49 starring John Travolta and Joaquin Phoenix. 

 It’s  a  fabulous  example  of  an  adaptive  reuse  and urban infill project  and home  to  many  orioles  and  ravens  players.   I  would  encourage  you  if  you  have  some  time  just  to  take a closer lo and walk  around  the  perimeter and Enjoy  some  of  the  seating  areas. 

Stop 11: Port of Baltimore

  Standing at this high point,   you  can  see  part of the  Port  of  Baltimore, the  North  Locust  Marine Terminal and many miles of railroad tracks, now owned by CSX. Also known as the  Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore, it was  established r1706, the Port of Baltimore started  right  here  in  Locust  Point.  Large shipping vessels dock from all over the world here and bring in what’s known as breakbulk or bulk cargo, which means it is non-containerizes, and includes things like salt, aluminum,  and steel using large cranes.  It’s  not  uncommon  to  see  farm  equipment roll by on the rail cars or containers covered in graffiti. 

 Other  assorted  cargo  coming  through  here  all  hours  of  the  day  and  night.   To the south, you can see the South Locust Point Marine terminal which l, until the recent Francis Scott Key Bridge Disaster, hosted many cruise ships that left welekly for the Bahamas’s and other places. It also received many forest products. Both terminals are well served by their proximity to I-95 to bring products to market. Looking further, you can see the Canton waterfront neighborhood across the harbor and the Canton Industrial Area which also serves the Port of Baltimorean 

Stop 12:Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine

Fort  McHenry, also referred to as the Star Fort, has  a  long  history in Baltimore,  of  course  most  notably  for being the location that inspired  the  writing  of  the  Star-Spangled Banner  during the  Battle  of  Baltimore  and  the  bombardment  that  occurred  in  September  of  1814  during the War of 1812. The fort was built in 1798 and was used continuously by U.S. armed forces through World War I and by the United States Coast Guard in World War II. It was designated a national park in 1925, and, in 1939, was redesignated a U.S. National Monument.

Every year, the events of the September 1814 when the flag continues to fly after 2 days of British Bombardment  are commemorated during  Defenders’  Day weekend in September. It is kicked off with a small historical and National Park Service themed parade that travels down Fort Avenue and then a weekend of musical performances, re-enactments and fireworks follows. Sometimes these events occur  in  sync  with  the  Locust  Point  Festival. Flag  Day each June 14’is also a big event at the Fort where music and special events are planned and the main road inside the Fort is lined with flags from all 50 states. 

 A major asset to twh Locust Point community, residents can walk around the Seawall trail for free and enjoy the grounds and picnic area for free. There is also a visitor center and the paid history Fort area to explore. the. 

It’s also not uncommon for the President of the United States  to visit Fort McHenry, either for staging travel in the Baltimore area or to give speeches or host federal events due to its close proximity to Washington DC. 

 Visitors can also get a good look at the former  the  Francis  Scott  Key  Bridge,  which  was  struck  by  a  large  cargo  vessel  in  March  of  2024 and collapsed.  You  can  see  the  bridge remnants, and the  bridge  recovery  efforts  underway.  

Thank  you. There are 2 buses, the MTA and the Charm City Circulator that can be accessed here. I encourage you to visit one of the many restaurants in Locust Point.