Wilkens Avenue

(Image courtesy of Google Images)


I somehow managed to forget to do a blog entry last week, so I am going to try to make up for it by posting a high-quality entry this week. For this post, I have decided to focus on the 2600 block of Wilkens Avenue.
Maryland Route 372, more widely known as Wilkens Avenue, is a very noteworthy neighborhood in my study of marble steps because it houses Baltimore’s longest series of row-homes, each originally adorned with marble stoops. In addition to the steps, the windows and doorframes are also accented with marble trim on this strip.




(Image courtesy of Google Images)


Wilkens Avenue is located in Southwest Baltimore and northwest of the Gwynns Falls. It is also known as the Mill Hill Deck of Cards Block because the block contains fifty-two, two-story brick townhouses which are all connected to each other. Laying more than 1,800 feet, it possibly may be the longest row of connected townhomes in the world.


(Image courtesy of Google Maps)

Baltimore’s longest rowhome block was built in 1912 on land that was owned by William Wilkens (hence how the avenue got its name). A good number of the residents at that time were employed either at the William Wilkens Company which was a hair factory, or at one of the many breweries located nearby. The original price for the homes on Wilkens Avenue ran about $1,250.00 and included full basement, complete wiring, piping for natural gas and sewage, and hot air heating.

Plugging along...

I am feeling a bit overwhelmed right now about this research paper. I have yet to actually begin writing the paper, though I have been conducting and collecting a significant amount of research regarding marble stoops in Baltimore. I was, however, relieved to find out Professor Singer reduced the length of the paper from 3,000 words down to 2,300.
My goal is to begin focusing on the paper after Thanksgiving break. I say after the break because I am having all four wisdom teeth (three of which are impacted) removed the day after Thanksgiving. I will either be numb from all the drugs they give me, or in excruciating pain. Either way, I’m not going to get much done that week on the paper!
This week I went back to Enoch Pratt Library, mainly to return a book I borrowed about Baltimore rowhomes, but also to work on my presentation on Baltimore housing that was due this week, before our class was cancelled. I was able to renew three books I checked out from Langsdale over the phone tonight. I am so lucky I called too, because they were actually due yesterday, but the library gives students a three day grace period!
I found a video on YouTube that I spent the last hour, unsuccessfully, trying to upload to this blog. Like uploading the photos, I'm sure I will get it eventually.

Maryland Historical Society visit

Last Friday I visited the Maryland Historical Society for the first time. I forgot about the small fee they charge to get in and more importantly, that they close their doors from noon-1pm so their employees may go to lunch. Luckily I was able to find what I needed with some help from the knowledgeable, yet not so personable, staff. Be prepared if you go, they do not allow you to bring anything, and I do mean anything, into the library except a pencil and paper. No pens, no cell phones, no bottled water. Surprisingly, they do provide free locker service. Well, not really, I suppose that’s what the $6 admission price goes towards. Also, bring cash because they charge for copies and all pictures you take. Ask before you take any photos, too, because you have to put some copy right laminate over the image before you snap your shot.
I was somewhat disappointed that most of the material I found I had already discovered at the Enoch Pratt Library. I was able to make copies of some new articles I found from the Baltimore Sun, and copy a page from the Maryland Picture Portfolio Series, which provided valuable information about marble steps.
Again, unfortunately, this week was extremely busy for me. Our mid-term was due this week and I was originally supposed to present my chapter on housing in Baltimore. Luckily, that presentation was postponed until next week. I also had a book review due for another class. I thought taking 6 credits this semester would be cake compared to the 12 credits I am accustomed to usually taking. I stand corrected!
P.S. Check out my first post, I added an image of the first book I found at Enoch Pratt. I feel so accomplished, I am now able to upload photos where I want them to go!

Mount Vernon Place

This week I read Beyond the White Marble Steps: A Look at Baltimore Neighborhoods. I borrowed this book from the Langsdale Library. The book itself had little information about Baltimore’s marble steps, but it did include some candid photos and interesting information about Mount Royal Place. I found the following definition in the book:
Stoop-sitting: “Describes the activity of sitting on the front steps of one’s row house with or without a favorite beverage, and conversing with neighbors and passers-by” (Rehbein, 51).
According to Rehbein, Baltimorean’s spent many a summer night’s stoop-sitting in the city.
The book did provide a little history of the Washington Monument. As I mentioned in a previous blog, The Washington Monument was cut from the same marble most stoops in Baltimore city were made from, coming from the same quarry in Cockeysville.
The monument was built on land that was donated by John Eager Howard. The book failed to describe who Howard was and just exactly what his significance to Baltimore was. According to Wikipedia.org, John Eager Howard was an American soldier and politician from Maryland. He was born in 1752 and died in 1827 in Baltimore County, yet Howard County, not Baltimore, was named after him (Wikipedia).

Beyond the White Marble Steps: A Look at Baltimore Neighborhoods, by Leslie Rehbein and Kate E. Peterson.

Not much to say...

I honestly do not have much to write about this week. I have been busy working on a research proposal for another class, so all my time has been dedicated to that. I was planning on meeting a classmate at the Maryland Historical Society on Tuesday. Unfortunately, they are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, so we have postponed our field trip until next Friday, 10.30.2009.

I was able to extend my book from Enoch Pratt online tonight since I have not had time to read much of it. It was so convenient. Thank God for the Internet!

I feel bad not having something more substantial to write about this week. I will try to post more this weekend if I finish my proposal before my already extended Sunday night deadline, but realistically, I don't think that's gonna happen.

Making progress!

Marble stoops. A staple in many Baltimore City neighborhoods.
(Photo courtesy of Google Images & provided by apartmenttherapy.com)

Tonight we did not have class so I decided to spend the extra time wisely and visit the Langsdale Library. The librarian helped me find three books: "Baltimore Architecture", "Great Baltimore Houses", and "Beyond the White Marble Steps". Luckily, I am able to check them out for an entire month!

I am still having issues with photo placement and adding captions, which is kind of frustrating because I'm excited to take photos and add them to my blog. Other than that, I seem to have a plethora of resources out there regarding my topic which is a huge burden off my shoulders.

I plan on visiting the Maryland Historical Society hopefully sometime next week and another trip to Enoch Pratt Library’s Maryland Room soon because they had an incredible amount of articles and newspaper clippings (some with photographs, though the quality was poor) when I was there last week.

Next week is going to be stressful for me because I have a big project due for another class on Thursday night. Hopefully I’ll find the time to complete the other project, visit the other libraries, and post a new blog before the deadline!

P.S. By the time I finished this entry I discovered how to add captions to photos. Yay me!

I found my topic!

Washington Monument, Baltimore City.
(Cheryl Miller, 10.06.2009)

I hate writing research papers. Not because of the actual act of doing the research either, it’s because I can never pick a good topic (in my mind at least) and I always end up getting extremely stressed and frustrated before I actually begin the research.

The first day of class, we discussed what characterized Baltimore. I immediately thought of the marble stoops that many row homes adorn. I have heard that homeowners took great pride in their marble steps, and it was somewhat of a tradition to scrub them often.

I was relieved to find out there was enough information out there to actually research this topic, but I was extremely shocked with what I was about to learn. The marble that was used for many of the stoops in Baltimore came from a quarry in Cockeysville which is today known as Beaver Dam. I moved from New Jersey to Cockeysville when I was going on nine years old. I spent many summers swimming in Beaver Dam and never knew that marble stone was extracted from the quarry in the early twentieth century.

The second thing that surprised me was what became of some of that marble. Both Washington Monuments in Baltimore City and Washington D.C. were constructed from the high quality marble, as well as 108 columns of the capitol building in D.C.

I visited the Enoch Pratt Free Library on Tuesday. The librarians in the Maryland room were very helpful. They helped me find books and files of old newspaper articles related to my topic. I registered for a library card and was able to check out a book called “The Baltimore Rowhouse”. I plan on visiting there again next week.

I later found this image and inserted it after I learned how to adjust photos.
(Image courtesy of Google Images and provided by www.citypaper.com)

This whole blogging thing is new to me. I am having some difficulty adjusting the photos to where I want them to be on the page once I upload them, but with practice I will be able to navigate my way around this site with more ease.