BNHA Liberty Garden
Interpretive Framework
Seeking Prosperity on the Chesapeake: Baltimore History from Colonial Times through the 1800s
Resource Type
Points of Interest
This relatively obscure location in Locust Point where Hull Street meets the waterfront is close to the point of entry for 1.5 million immigrants seeking a better life in the United States. From 1821 through 1914, Baltimore was the third largest port of entry for European immigrants from Bremerhaven, Germany.
In 1868, the B&O Railroad partnered with the North German Lloyd Company to jointly recruit and transport immigrants from Germany to Baltimore. Approximately 1.2 million transited through the B&O Railroad’s Locust Point’s immigration pier from 1868 to 1914. While many immigrants continued their westward travels by train, many decided to settle in Baltimore.
Unlike New York’s famed Ellis Island, there are no structures or physical evidence left relating to the immigration pier. The memorial and Liberty Garden is on private property (UnderArmour) and is maintained by the company.