Vintage Photographs of St. Patrick’s Day Celebrations in Baltimore in the 1970s

The photos are in black and white, but be sure that everyone was in green. Here’s a selection of 12 vintage photographs from The Baltimore Sun’s archives that show what St. Patrick’s Day celebrations looked like in Baltimore in the 1970s.

Susie Cook pours a stiff dram of usquebaugh in Sweeney’s bar amid a crowd of St. Patrick’s Day revelers smiling with happy Irish eyes. March 18, 1970. (The Baltimore Sun)

…and comely lasses dance a jig in front of the Pratt. March 1973. (The Baltimore Sun)

March, 1976. (Pearson, The Baltimore Sun).

Don’t spill it: it’s precious. Forty out of breath sprinters tried to go 100 yards without spilling their beer from tray borne cups during the 8th annual Great Annapolis Beer Race, celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. The winner was David A. Woyeke, 29, an Annapolis hi-fi salesman, who said after his victory, “This is the first and last one.” March, 1976. (The Baltimore Sun)

One of the 43 units that took part in yesterday’s St. Patrick’s Day parade in a chilly breeze steps out briskly at Baltimore and Calvert streets. March 1976. (Pearson, The Baltimore Sun).

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Fascinating Black and White Photos That Capture Street Scenes of Baltimore in the Early 1970s

These impressive black and white photos from ubarchives that captured street scenes of Baltimore, Maryland from 1971 to 1974. They were taken by Robert Breck Chapman who began his career in photography working for Baltimore's Model Cities, going on to work for the City's Urban Services Agency, Housing and Community Development, and as the unofficial photographer of Mayor Kurt Schmoke.

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27 Historical Photographs From the Great Baltimore Fire in 1904

The Great Baltimore Fire raged in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, on Sunday, February 7, and Monday, February 8, 1904. It destroyed much of central Baltimore, including over 1,500 buildings covering an area of some 140 acres (57 ha).  It is considered historically the third worst conflagration in an American city, surpassed only by the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, and the San Francisco Earthquake and Fire of 1906.

In the aftermath, 35,000 people were left unemployed. Over $150 million (in 1904 USD) worth of damage was done, which is approximately $3.84 billion in 2014 dollars. Immediately after the fire, The Baltimore News quoted Mayor Robert McLane: “To suppose that the spirit of our people will not rise to the occasion is to suppose that our people are not genuine Americans. We shall make the fire of 1904 a landmark not of decline but of progress.” McLane then refused assistance, “As head of this municipality, I cannot help but feel gratified by the sympathy and the offers of practical assistance which have been tendered to us. To them I have in general terms replied, ‘Baltimore will take care of its own, thank you.’”

Two years later, on September 10, 1906, The Sun reported that the city had risen from the ashes and that “One of the great disasters of modern time had been converted into a blessing.”

Here are some vintage photographs of this terrible fire:

Alexander Brown and Sons Building, Looking south-east from Calvert Building

During the fire

Anderson and Ireland Hardware Store

Baltimore St. W of St. Pau after the great fire

Baltimore Street between Calvert Street and Guilford Street in ruins after Great Fire of 1904

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