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1953 Map of Baltimore East

Name: 1953 Topographic Map of Baltimore East
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1957
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1957

About this map

The dense industrial and residential fabric of East Baltimore comes into sharp focus during the mid-1950s, showing a city deeply integrated with its maritime and rail infrastructure. At the heart of the harbor, Northwest Harbor is flanked by massive logistics hubs like the Canton Yard and the Riverside Yard, illustrating the era's heavy reliance on the Pennsylvania Railroad and Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. Urban life is anchored by significant institutional landmarks, from the sprawling campus of Johns Hopkins University and the Maryland Sch for the Blind to the historic grounds of Greenmount Cemetery.

Neighborhoods such as Highlandtown, Waverly, and Dundalk show the post-war expansion patterns of the city, while Fort McHenry stands as a sentinel at Whetstone Point. The map also details the city's complex social infrastructure, including the State Penitentiary and City Jail, the Baltimore City Hospitals, and numerous parochial schools like the Shrine of the Little Flower Sch. This record captures Baltimore just before the massive highway projects of later decades reshaped these established communities.