HISTORY Baltimore’s Pride The deeds of a daring Baltimore captain live on in Maryland’s sailing ambassador. BY CHRIS LANDERS PHOTO: KONSTANTINOS MAMALIS FOR DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES The bustling shipyards of Baltimore produced some of the fastest ships the world had seen in the early 19th century. Called “Baltimore Clippers,” they became famous as privateer ships, capturing British merchant vessels during the War of 1812. Privateers (or, as their targets called them, “pirates”) mostly operated near the American coast, but the Chasseur took the fight to England, tacking a note to the door of cargo insurer Lloyd’s of London warning that the British Isles were under blockade. The ship then captured or sank 17 British ships before sailing home to Fells Point, where the Chasseur was hailed as “The Pride of Baltimore.” Point Lookout, Scotland Tour haunted Maryland at these local landmarks. F BY JIM MEYER From the restless shade of Edgar Allan Poe to the Confederate spirits that still haunt Point Lookout, Maryland is home to centuries of not-quite living history. The Ghost of Edgar Allan Poe On October 3, 1849, Edgar Allan Poe, father of American horror fiction, was found, gripped by madness, at the door of his favorite tavern. Disheveled and wild eyed, the legendary poet could only repeat a single word. “Reynolds!” he called out, seemingly to some spirit of the ether. He died four days later from “congestion of the brain.” But many believe that was not the end of Poe—that his spirit fled to his childhood home just blocks away. Now at the Edgar Allan Poe House & Museum, a must-visit for ghost hunters and history fans, visitors often feel a looming presence, even the occasional grip of an icy hand upon their shoulder. who wanders the beach asking anyone she encounters where to find her grave. Others tell of a confederate soldier who sprints from the old prison and dives into the swift waters of the Potomac River, disappearing until the next time the moonlight is right. Pride of Baltimore II In 1977, the city of Baltimore launched a replica of a Baltimore Clipper as a symbol of civic pride in the newly refurbished Inner Harbor. Christened the Pride of Baltimore as a tribute to the Chasseur , the ship sailed for nine years, visiting ports on the East Coast and across the Atlantic. In 1986, though, the ship sank off the coast of Puerto Rico in a sudden storm. Soon after the news reached Baltimore, pennies and dimes collected by local schoolchildren began arriving at the Pride downtown office, and the state agreed to fund the building of a successor. The Pride of Baltimore II , launched in 1988, is larger than the first, with modern safety features hidden in the traditional design, and has traveled around the world, as far away as Russia, Japan and China. As Maryland’s sailing goodwill ambassador, the Pride of Baltimore II is often on the move, but if you’re lucky enough to catch her at home in Baltimore, the crew offers tours and short sails on the Chesapeake. More adventurous sailors can book passage as guest crew between ports on the ship’s itinerary, and experience the thrill of a real Baltimore Clipper for themselves. ✥ DESTINATION MARYLAND ✥ 27 Other Fright Sites Some quake at the story of Moll Dyer the Frozen Witch of Old St. Mary’s, whose hand prints still mark the courthouse stone of Leonardtown. Others share the tragic tale of Aloysius “Wish” Shepherd who roams the streets of Denton in his endless search for justice, while many swear they have gazed upon the ghostly regiment that still walks Bloody Lane at Antietam National Battlefield. To explore these haunted tales and more, visit The Original Fells Point Ghost Walk in Baltimore, Annapolis Ghost Tours and Haunted Pub Crawl, and Chesapeake Ghost Walks on the Eastern Shore. Go to VisitMaryland.org for seasonal ghost tours and haunts like The Spirits of Ellicott City, Savage Mill Ghost Tours, and candlelight ghost tours of Frederick, “Maryland’s Most Haunted City.” ✥ “The Most Haunted Place in America” Poe is only the most famous member of Maryland’s haunted host. Point Lookout State Park, home to a Civil War prisoner camp, is considered to be the most haunted place in America. Locals tell the tale of a spirit PHOTO: WILLIAM SHERMAN Ghosts of the Old Line State
Maryland Official Visitors Guide 2017: Page 27
