Join us on a tour of Jones Falls’ industrial history!

This Saturday the Ecological Design Collective (EDC) embarks on a tour of the Jones Falls River. Explore the industrial history of Baltimore’s most famous waterway with historian Bill Harvey and anthropologist Nicole Labruto. The tour will take place on Saturday, April 26th, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. We will meet at Chestnut Ave. and Falls Road and then proceed by van alongside the Jones Falls River, making stops to discuss the river’s history until we reach Tudor Arms Ave. and 36th Street.

RSVP below! Space is limited to 20 people.

Tour Itinerary:

Start: 3:00 PM – Chestnut Ave & Falls Rd

The tour begins at Chestnut and Falls, with an introductory talk lasting about 20–25 minutes. This opening stop will include a few general points and a rapid overview of nearly 200 years of history.

From there, we’ll board the vehicle and move slowly north through the valley. The driver will be asked to slow down or stop at key sites, especially the historic mill buildings. The route continues up Falls Rd, taking the left fork onto Clipper Mill Rd to view more of the mill complex.

Next, we take a left onto Union Ave, crossing the Falls and railroad tracks, then a right onto a short connecting road (name TBD) leading to Druid Park Drive.

From there, we turn left onto Druid Park Drive, proceeding to 41st St for a quick look across the valley at the sister neighborhood, Woodberry.

Then it’s a right onto 41st St, crossing the bridge into what many consider the more familiar part of town: Hampden. There will be a brief pause on the bridge to view the valley in both directions, which helps illustrate the area’s geographic isolation.

We continue to Falls Rd, turning right and heading down to 36th St (The Avenue).

A left onto 36th St takes us through Hampden’s downtown strip, which expanded eastward from the original mill district.

End: 5:00 PM – Tudor Arms Ave & 36th St, along the edge of Wyman Park—where the two valleys framing the neighborhood converge.

Event Series:

This event is a continuation of the EDC’s 2024-25 itinerary for “Reimagining Land,” anchored in a monthly series of “Groundings” that explore Baltimore’s ecology, history, and contemporary place-making efforts through experiential events.