Exhibition Opening May 20
Join in the celebration of the new exhibition – Passion and Purpose: Voices of Maryland’s Civil Rights Activists – on May 20, 6-8 pm (please note the Museum and Library will close early at 3 pm that day as we prepare for the event.)
Learn More
The Maryland Center for History and Culture is more than a Museum and Library. We provide space for discovery and developing a deeper understanding of the nation’s history and culture through the lens of Maryland.
Upcoming Program
Passion and Purpose: Voices of Maryland’s Civil Rights Activists – Exhibition Opening
View Event Detail
Discover Maryland
Discover MarylandOpen through August 2022
Who are Marylanders, why are they so obsessed with their flag, and what does duckpin bowling have to do with the Baltimore Orioles? This exhibition explores how Maryland and its people have changed since its founding in 1634. Learn how the dynamic geography of the state drove its industry, population, and the identity of Marylanders, and how the arts and culture of Maryland reflect on its past. For traveling visitors and lifelong Marylanders, Discover Maryland shows there is much to uncover about Maryland. Open through August 2022.
Learn More
Visions of Night
Visions of NightBaltimore Nocturnes–Open through March 2023
Artists have been creating visions of nighttime for centuries. Photographers have long attempted to capture images at night, but truly successful attempts did not come to fruition or common practice until the 1930s, when technology caught up with artistic vision. Visions of Night showcases photographs taken at night in the city from the collections of the Maryland Center for History and Culture, as well as contemporary photography, including the work of Sydney J. Allen, J.M. Giordano, John Clark Mayden, Webster Phillips III, and others. This exhibition is funded by the William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund, creator of the Baker Artist Portfolios, http://www.BakerArtist.org.
Learn More
Flickering Treasures
Flickering TreasuresRediscovering Baltimore’s Forgotten Movie Theaters—Open through March 2023
In 1896, Marylanders crowded to Electric Park to see the lights and attractions, including the very first moving-picture show. Movies were magical, transporting the viewers to new places, inviting them to escape their everyday lives, marvel at a new technology, gather news, and appreciate art. Movie theaters became symbols for the worlds they were unlocking, ethereal buildings where people gathered to take a journey together through the movie screen. Open through March 2023.
Learn More
Wild and Untamed
Wild and UntamedDunton’s Discovery of the Baltimore Album Quilts—Open through March 2023
Follow Dr. William Rush Dunton Jr. on his journey to understand the Baltimore album quilt tradition and learn how quilts served as the building blocks for his groundbreaking work in occupational therapy. Explore our internationally famous quilt collection, including never-before-seen pieces, and Dr. Dunton’s personal works to unravel a narrative that connects Dunton’s views on quilts, gender, and mental health in the 1940s. Open through March 2023.
Learn More
Passion and Purpose: Voices of Maryland’s Civil Rights Activists
Passion and Purpose: Voices of Maryland’s Civil Rights ActivistsOpening May 20, 2022
Marylanders have been at the forefront of the national Black freedom struggle, from lawsuits that revealed the lies of the “separate but equal” doctrine in the 1930s and ’40s, to massive protests in the streets during the 1960s that forced a nation to confront its moral consciousness. This legacy continues through today. Visitors to Passion and Purpose will learn and draw inspiration from the lived experiences of these activists who make up a complex mosaic of the long and continuing fight for civil rights in Maryland and the nation. In this exhibition, historic moments in the ongoing civil rights movement are told through the words and voices of those who lived it. Oral histories and photography connect past to present and provide personal perspectives into historic moments. This exhibition is on long-term view.
Learn MoreLibrary
Dedicated to preserving the irreplaceable history of Maryland
The H. Furlong Baldwin Library invites visitors to explore the records of Maryland’s past and preserves irreplaceable historical materials for future generations.
Library Catalog
Digital Collections
Shake Up Maryland History!
Educational Programs
Students gain essential social studies skills by engaging with our collections in person and virtually.
Find the perfect programsMembership
A Word From Our Members
Our members believe what we believe: history can illuminate the past, lend perspective to the present, and inform the future. Don’t take our word for it. Hear what they have to say.
Join or renewThere is a lot to be gained by joining which contributes to the preservation of so many items in the [MCHC] collection that are precious to our country’s history. The museum was a surprise to me, and had me engaged for hours. The gift shop had so many lovely things, and the discount offered to members is a great incentive to purchasing books. When I cannot get to [the MCHC], they have an online collection that allows access to amazing documentation.
Kimberly K. Walters, Member Since 2017
100+ Years of the Maryland Historical Magazine
Read past issues digitized through a partnership with the Maryland State Archives. Enjoy print copies mailed to you with membership.
view issuesBlogs & Updates
All Updates
Together Again: Reuniting the Silver Tureens of Judge George Washington Dobbin
By Harrison S. Van Waes, Director of CollectionsPost published December 17, 2021 and Updated April 14, 2022 When an individual […]
Read MoreGenerous leading support for this website was provided by the Sheridan Foundation with additional support from the Helen Clay Frick Foundation.