Canton Improvement Association photograph collection

The Canton region of Baltimore city is along the harbor in the southeastern part of the city. The land between Fells Point and Lazaretto Point, originally the plantation of merchant seaman John O'Donnell, began to see industrial use in the mid 1800s, facilitated by the presence of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. At the same time, Canton developed as a residential area, with row homes for workers settled by European immigrants in the early 1900's, especially Welsh, Irish, German and later Pole.

Canton underwent increasing industrial and commercial development, becoming a deepwater marine terminal handling shipping of various cargo. Over the years, industry in the area included mills, distilleries, ship building, smelting, refineries, and manufacturing. Tradition says the area was named for Canton, China, the origin of cargo coming through the docks located there.

The Canton Improvement Association was incorporated in 1970, initially formed in opposition to the extension of I-70 through the community. In the 1970s and 1980s the group promoted quality of life for Canton residents, providing leadership for activism on many issues: curtailing vandalism and other crime, maintaining and improving the neighborhood, seeking zoning to regulate the impact on residents of industrial activity, developing properties for park and recreational use, and improving schools. The association also represented the Canton neighborhood at local and city-wide events like the Fells Point Fun Festival and the City Fair. The organization was successful in having Canton placed on the National Register as a historic district, enlisting volunteers to survey and classify area properties, and prevented the closing of the Canton branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library.