Baltimore Harbor photograph collection

One event depicted in this collection's photographs may be the sailing of the John T. Ford in June 1867, which drew thousands of spectators to the wharves along South, Pratt and Light Streets in Baltimore. This was a miniature ocean vessel, a sailboat, embarking under the guidance of Captain Gold, with the assistance of city-owned steam tug Baltimore. As described by the Baltimore American, along with scores of people on shore, "The basin itself was frequented by skiffs, pungies, batteaux, canoes, and every species of water craft, more or less laden with interested lookers on" (June 24, 1867).

The John T. Ford may have been named for the theater owner and local politician, John Thomson Ford (1829-1894). In addition to owning theaters in Baltimore, Washington, D.C. (the infamous Ford's Theater where Lincoln was shot), Philadelphia, and Charleston, South Carolina, Ford served as a Baltimore City council member starting in 1858, and was acting mayor of the city for two years. He served in many other administrative capacities including state director of the Maryland penitentiary, and was active in philanthropic work.

The steamship Juniata is also depicted in the collection, built in 1849 for the Baltimore and Susquehanna Steam Company. Juniata ran to the Susquehanna River on a daily schedule in the 1850s-1870s, departing from West Falls Avenue in the Baltimore harbor.