LEXINGTON MARKET
Rich in American History
George Washington and Thomas Jefferson passed the vicinity as they rode
horseback to and from their Virginia estates and Philadelphia, the nations capital.
Famed statesman Daniel Webster visited the scene in 1785, and later the arts
were represented by such visitors as painter James McNeill and novelist William
Thackeray. When Ralph Waldo Emerson visited The Market he proclaimed
Baltimore the "gastronomic capital of the world."
Perhaps it was the timing, but with its name change from Western Precincts
Market to Lexington Market, Howards Hill became one of the wonders of the 19th
century. In 1817, the city finally arrived at its boundaries and took over. Five years
later The Market was extolled by the visiting United States Attorney General
William Wirt, who wrote to his daughter in Washington that:
"You may conceive the vast quantity of provisions that must be brought to this
market when you are told that 60,000 people draw their daily supplies from ' which
is more than twice as many people as there are 'in Washington, Georgetown,
Alexandria and Richmond, all in one."
Growth of Baltimore Town up and over Howard's Hill had made it the nation's
second largest city. Turnpikes linked it to Harrisburg and Richmond, with lines of
wagon teams, rumbling north and south to this bustling junction of bay, canal and
turnpike. Lexington Market was the hub. From Pennsylvania, Cumberland and
Virginia countrymen traveled three and four days to hawk their butter, winter
apples, handmade socks, yarn gloves and hams at The Market.
By mid 19th century, Lexington Market has acquired its full growth and was hailed
everywhere as the largest and best market on earth. Although commission
merchants moved into the picture, nearby farmers, who preferred to keep the
huckster's profit, jammed the area with as many as 600 wagons on Saturdays.
Rich in American History
George Washington and Thomas Jefferson passed the vicinity as they rode
horseback to and from their Virginia estates and Philadelphia, the nations capital.
Famed statesman Daniel Webster visited the scene in 1785, and later the arts
were represented by such visitors as painter James McNeill and novelist William
Thackeray. When Ralph Waldo Emerson visited The Market he proclaimed
Baltimore the "gastronomic capital of the world."
Perhaps it was the timing, but with its name change from Western Precincts
Market to Lexington Market, Howards Hill became one of the wonders of the 19th
century. In 1817, the city finally arrived at its boundaries and took over. Five years
later The Market was extolled by the visiting United States Attorney General
William Wirt, who wrote to his daughter in Washington that:
"You may conceive the vast quantity of provisions that must be brought to this
market when you are told that 60,000 people draw their daily supplies from ' which
is more than twice as many people as there are 'in Washington, Georgetown,
Alexandria and Richmond, all in one."
Growth of Baltimore Town up and over Howard's Hill had made it the nation's
second largest city. Turnpikes linked it to Harrisburg and Richmond, with lines of
wagon teams, rumbling north and south to this bustling junction of bay, canal and
turnpike. Lexington Market was the hub. From Pennsylvania, Cumberland and
Virginia countrymen traveled three and four days to hawk their butter, winter
apples, handmade socks, yarn gloves and hams at The Market.
By mid 19th century, Lexington Market has acquired its full growth and was hailed
everywhere as the largest and best market on earth. Although commission
merchants moved into the picture, nearby farmers, who preferred to keep the
huckster's profit, jammed the area with as many as 600 wagons on Saturdays.
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| Monday -Saturday 8:30 am to 6 pm 400 W. Lexington Street Baltimore, MD 21201 Ph: 410-685-6169 info@lexingtonmarket.com |
