Baltimore Harbor East: The Many Companies Which Make Up ‘Industry’

When you hear the word “industry” what do you think of? Shipbuilding? Ironworks? While these are the stereotypical “big” industries, industry can take many forms from selling bird seed to baking bread. Explore the rich history of the diverse companies which contributed and contribute to industry in Baltimore Harbor East through this walking tour developed by the Baltimore Museum of Industry (BMI).

Enjoy this self-guided walking tour on foot (parking in the BMI’s lot is free to tour participants), by car, or from the comfort of your home. Share your thoughts on social media with the hashtag #BMIwalkingtour or tag @BMIatWork. Or, email your suggestions to info@thebmi.org.

A. H. Bull & Company

Archibald Hilton Bull founded the A. H. Bull & Co. in 1902. The company originally ran steamship lines from New York to Florida. Eventually A. H. Bull & Co. expanded to include an office in Baltimore. In the early 1900s, when Baltimore’s…

William G. Scarlett and Company

In 1894, George D. Scarlett founded the William G. Scarlett Seed Company. Born in Baltimore in 1873, George D. Scarlett was a true entrepreneur who chased the American dream. At twenty-one, George Scarlett began working in the seed industry by…

Bagby Furniture Company

In 1879, Charles T. Bagby and A. D. Rivers founded the Bagby and Rivers Furniture Company, the predecessor to the Bagby Furniture Company. Bagby and Rivers manufactured furniture and in their 1882 furniture catalog, the company advertises mainly…

H&S Bakery

H&S Bakery began first as the vision of Isidore Paterakis, an immigrant from Chios, Greece. In 1943, Isidore Paterakis turned H&S Bakery into a reality by going into business with his son-in-law Harry Tsakalos. What began as a small…

The E. J. Codd Company

Edward J. Codd founded the E. J. Codd Company in the 1850s. The E. J. Codd  Company focused on industrial machinery and aided Baltimore’s booming shipbuilding industry by assembling boilers, propellers, and engines. At the turn of the century,…

The Wilson Line

In the twentieth century, Pier 8 in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor and then Broadway Pier in Fells Point used to be the launching point for the steamboats of the Wilson Line. The Wilson Line extended from Philadelphia to Wilmington to Baltimore and ran a…