Marking Canton History with Dr. Raymond Bahr

Dr. Raymond Bahr, a retired Cardiologist and lifelong resident of Canton, is the founder of the Canton History Project. He has spent decades researching the history and impact of the Industrial Revolution in Canton. He is also responsible for the fundraising to support the endeavor that places historic interpretive markers throughout the neighborhood to share its rich and often little-known history. Here’s some information not only about the project but the man behind the markers.

Dr. Bahr, thanks for chatting with us.

This project (the research, writing, and installation of 8 markers and one set of historic panels) has been quite an undertaking. Tell us, how did it start? When did you begin and what gave you the idea?

The project started due to my curiosity about the history of Harris Creek, which today still runs under the Safeway parking lot.  

I retired in 2003 from St. Agnes Hospital. My son who worked at MDE encouraged me to join the Baltimore Harbor Watershed Association to help with the environment in Canton. I became the Project Director for Harris Creek Watershed Project. Trash was coming into the Baltimore Harbor in Canton at an alarming amount of 5 tons each month. The important question was where was the trash coming from? We worked with the 17 neighborhoods in the Harris Creek Watershed, starting in Clifton Park and emptying into the Harbor across from the Safeway. We discovered that most of the trash was coming from the backyards of vacant houses and proceeded to identify these mini landfills to get DPW to clean them up. During my tenure with HCWP, over 100 such sites were cleaned, reducing the trash going into the Harbor to less than 0.5 tons each month. We offered to take this successful program to the other 26 outlets and clean the Baltimore Harbor of trash, however, we did not get cooperation from City Hall, and I left the project. Later the BHWA merged into Blue Water Baltimore. 

At one time Harris Creek was a large body of water that entered Canton just behind St. Casimir’s Church and went up Lakewood Ave and through Patterson Park to Baltimore Street where the tributaries were located. The area along the creek contained the Stodder Boatyard where the Frigate Constellation was built and launched in 1797. Harris Creek was considered the first Navy Yard of the United States. It had become lost in time and today exists as a municipal sewer under Safeway.

How did you come to learn so much about the history of Canton?
The Canton History Project was launched to get answers as to what happened to Harris Creek. We found out from our research that a bridge was placed over the neck of Harris Creek in 1837, preventing any further boat building. Who could have done such a thing? More bridges were built over streets to the north until over time the creeks were filled in and paved. 

To go further to get additional answers, you had to know what was going on in the Nation at the time and how it impacted Canton. The country was young and depended very much on trade and commerce and the direction was to the West. West at that time was Ohio. The Erie Canal has just been built connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. New York was becoming rich, and we were losing out on trade with the West. Shipbuilding was behind us, and we needed to adopt new ways. So, Baltimore was built the first railroad company in the United States, the Baltimore and Ohio RR. Railroads were like space-age technology. Industrialist Peter Cooper with the help of others started the Canton Company of Baltimore and obtained a Charter from the State of Maryland that allowed the Company to build a mini city here in Canton. All of this was going on together and became explosive like the Big Bang. The reason the Bridge over Harris Creek was built in 1837 was to provide transportation to allow this industrialization to take place.  (Note: The historic markers of the Canton History Project document the Industrial Revolution and the lifespan of the Canton Company in Canton.) 

What have you learned that has been the most interesting or surprising to you?
That the train depot from which Frederick Douglass escaped to freedom was in Canton. This was deduced while researching the history of Harris Creek and The Canton Company.

Baltimore had many great leaders (some became mayors of Baltimore) and they were not timid. They were industrious and risk-takers. In 1837, the Canton Company convinced the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad to build a rail bridge over Harris Creek and a Train Station for locomotives on 9 acres of land east of Boston Street near Kenwood Ave. They also built a Train Depot for passengers to go to Philadelphia. City trains were not allowed to have locomotion but required horses to pull the trains from President Street to Canton where passengers would board trains heading north. Frederic Douglass, who lived in Baltimore, knew that the Train Depot in Canton was newly built and lacked security. In 1838 Douglass would take his chances and jump on board at the last minute to escape enslavement in Maryland. The Frederick Douglass Museum in Fells Point mentions that he took a train in Canton, but up until now, no one knew where it was located. We know now and have installed historic panels on Boston Street documenting the depot and Douglass’ escape to freedom.   

What did you love most about growing up in Canton?
Everything. Freedom of roaming the streets, playing ball games at Canton Park, getting into little troubles. Making many friends along the way. My father died when I was six years old. Both grandfathers died early also. I had two brothers and a sister, and I remember the struggles my mother had while raising us.  But I would not have traded growing up in Canton for anything. I kept working hard as I went from St. Brigid’s to Loyola High School to the University of Maryland Pharmacy School, all while living at 1016 S. Bouldin Street. I worked at Kaminski’s Drug Store at East Ave and O’Donnell Street (now a florist shop). I later went to Medical School and then to St. Agnes Hospital for 40 years establishing a Heart Attack Care Program. I retired in 2003 and my wife Patricia and I came back to live in Canton Cove. 

Beyond your love of history, what are some other ways you enjoy spending your time?

Family. I have a lovely, hard-working wife and companion reaching 60 years of marriage in 2022. We have four children and seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Fortunately, they all live in the Maryland area so we can enjoy them, and even more so when the pandemic is over. We have a vacation place in Ocean City on the bayside and enjoy the beautiful sunsets very much. I have many projects, perhaps the most important one is looking after my Heart Attack Care Program (EHAC) throughout the United States. Pat and I attend St. Vincent de Paul Church in downtown Baltimore and are active in the Beyond the Boundaries Program that deals with racial injustice and affordable housing in Baltimore City. 

We can see by the map there are 8 markers and one set of panels. Do you plan to add more?
I think 8 in the Canton Historic District are enough.  We are currently working on a large map of the Canton Company of Baltimore (4000 acres) which will display many of the industries that took place over the 150 years of the Canton Company (1828-1980s). It will be installed for the public to view in the Spring of 2022. Also, we have discovered two museums in Canton and are working with the owners to have scheduled showings. 

How can the community help support the project?
Actually, the Canton community has been very supportive. I want them to know more, not just about the Historic District, but also about the Canton Company of Baltimore and the working spirit of the Company that made it the most successful Industrial Park Development in America’s History. The community can help support this by expanding their knowledge of what took place here in the past and is still going on. To do so, they can visit the “Canton History 101 and Beyond” Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/HistoricCanton. 

Is there anything else you’d like the community to know? 
The Railroad Transfer Bridge that lies in the water off the Canton Waterfront Park was left there as a monument to the Industrial Revolution that took place in Canton. We are working to make this historic icon a National Historic Landmark.  In 2028, we will be celebrating the 200th year anniversary of the Canton Company of Baltimore.  We need a Planning Committee to make this a successful anniversary.  It would be great if we could light up this historic icon on that occasion and have fireworks in Harbor facing Canton. If you would like to help plan the anniversary event, please email me at RDB60@aol.com. I would love the help! 

To view the map of the 9 historic markers, visit https://bit.ly/3BwWqmC. For further information on The Canton History project or other Canton history, contact Dr. Raymond Bahr at RDB60@aol.com.