Biking int Baltimore History: Part 1

In anticipation of Saturday’s May Day Roll, co-sponsored by The Baltimore Brew and Baltimore Bicycle Works, here’s the history behind what you’ll see on the first leg of our journey – the old mill towns of Woodberry and Lower Hampden. (Information on the Roll)

Druid Mill, built in 1866, unique for its Italianate style. (Photo by Mark Reutter)

by MARK REUTTER

Nestled below the bridge pylons and roaring traffic of the Jones Falls Expressway lies the cradle of Baltimore industry.

The mill towns of Woodberry and Lower Hampden once produced 80 percent of all cotton duck used throughout the world, to say nothing of twine, yarn, lamp wick, twill, shirting and calico prints. The Poole & Hunt Foundry, at the foot of Union Ave., cast the three-foot-wide columns supporting the U.S. Capitol dome.

These stone-faced factories remain remarkably intact, finding new uses today as artists’ studios, offices, restaurants and small manufacturing units, while the miniature houses built for mill workers shelter a new generation of Baltimoreans.

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Read the full article here: https://baltimorebrew.com/blog/2010/04/28/biking-into-baltimore-history-part-1-%E2%80%93-born-by-the-falls/oldId.20100429085958610