As you trace the footsteps of Baltimore's literary luminaries—Poe, Mencken, etc.—on the Maryland Humanities Council's Mt. Vernon walking tour—you move from brownstone to brownstone. Range farther afield and the city's diverse architecture becomes apparent, from narrow row houses to Guilford's stately mansions.
Penrose Street
The classic photo of women and children scrubbing their marble steps—a trademark of Baltimore architecture made possible by the high-quality white marble quarried in Cockeysville—was shot by renowned Baltimore Sun photographer A. Aubrey Bodine. Done properly, the ritual marble stoop cleaning process included scrubbing with a pumice stone and Bon Ami powder.
Canton Row Homes
In the early 1900s, the neighborhood's row houses were home to Irish and Eastern Europeans who worked at the port and canneries.