Baltimore doesn’t have a history museum or a municipal museum, but its growth has been so closely tied to the industrialization of food, machines, and trade that the museum of industry might as well be its history museum. In the mid 20th century, Baltimore had plenty of vegetable, meat, and condiment processing factories, some of which still stand today repurposed as commercial buildings.
The museum faithfully recreates stores and workshops of yore to show scenes that look like they came from the Andy Griffith Show. Almost all of the displays are period accurate and they even have the world’s first linotype invented in 1886 and early iron presses.
Other Maryland inventions include the modern tennis racquet, construction of Pan Am Clippers in 1935, and home improvement tools by Black & Decker. But the city’s long industrial run didn’t last forever, Bethlehem Steel closed in 2012 ending a 120-year source of steady income for thousands of families. Baltimore’s industry had only recently become history.
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