- Maryland Historical Society
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Maryland Historical Society Abbreviation MHS Formation 1844 Purpose/focus Education and historical preservation Location 201 W. Monument Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21201-4674
United StatesStaff 41 Website http://www.mdhs.org/ Coordinates: 39°17′49″N 76°37′7″W / 39.29694°N 76.61861°W The Maryland Historical Society (MdHS), founded in 1844, is the oldest cultural institution in the U.S. state of Maryland. The society "collects, preserves, and interprets objects and materials reflecting Maryland's diverse heritage." MdHS has a museum, library, holds educational programs, and publishes scholarly works on Maryland.
The Society's campus is located in the Mount Vernon neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland at 201 West Monument Street. This location is the main building of the Maryland Historical Society, which has been housed at the Enoch Pratt House since 1919. The house was originally built in 1847 and was presented to MdHS in 1916 by Ms Mary Washington Keyser as a tribute to her husband, H. Irvine Keyser who was a member of MdHS from 1873 until his death in 1916. Enoch Pratt (1806-1896) is a well known philanthropist who created the Enoch Pratt Free Library and gave substantial contributions to the First Unitarian Church of Baltimore, the Maryland Science Center, and the Maryland School for the Deaf.
The MdHS has published a quarterly journal, now entering completing its 103 year. The Maryland Historical Magazine is a peer reviewed journal boasting one of the largest readerships among state historical society journals. The society also publishes books on Maryland history that are distributed through a partnership with the Johns Hopkins University Press, including Crime and Punishment in Early Maryland written by former MdHS librarian Raphael Semmes (1890-1952). MdHS has over 100 titles in the Library of Congress.
Notables in exhibition at the MdHS are the original manuscript of the Star-Spangled Banner and the letters and journals of Benjamin Banneker. The MdHS showcases include 231 weapons, 866 pieces of jewelry, 2,200 Native American prehistoric archeological objects, 15,000 musical scores as well as a remarkable collection of 18th and 19th-century paintings and silver, maritime artifacts, Maryland painted and inlaid furniture, quilts, costumes, ceramics, dolls and toys. Exhibits include Maryland's history, Maryland in art and furniture in Maryland life.
References
- “Tradition and Generosity.” Special Issue, Maryland Historical Magazine 101, no.4 (Winter 2006): 467-203.
- “H. Irvine Keyser.” Historical marker database (accessed November 21, 2008)
- “ Enoch Pratt House.” Historical marker database (accessed November 21, 2008)
- index.html “Publications.” Maryland Historical Society (accessed November 21, 2008)
External links
Categories:- Maryland stubs
- United States organization stubs
- Museums in Baltimore, Maryland
- History museums in Maryland
- Art museums in Maryland
- Historical societies in Maryland
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