BNHA McKim Free School
Affiliations
Baltimore City Landmark
Endangered Maryland
National Register of Historic Places
Interpretive Framework
Seeking Prosperity on the Chesapeake: Baltimore History from Colonial Times through the 1800s
Star Attractions
Heritage Walk
Resource Type
Points of Interest
1120 E Baltimore St
Baltimore, Maryland 21202
The McKim Free School was established through a bequest of an annual $600 from the estate of Quaker merchant John McKim. John's son, Isaac McKim, selected a board of trustees, commissioned the construction of the graceful Greek Revival building, and founded the school.
The school was open to all indigent children regardless of gender. Its mission was "to provide the basis of extensive and lasting benefits to the poor, and to the interest of society, by the diffusion of useful knowledge and moral instruction among a class of society who have not the means of procuring these advantages for themselves." Generations of immigrant children learned English and other skills that helped them integrate into American society.
Over the years, the building has served many purposes in addition to a school. It has been a childcare facility and a place of worship for a Presbyterian congregation. Today it is used as a community center.