Downtown in Baltimore, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
American District Telegraph (ADT)
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), December 1, 2023
1. American District Telegraph (ADT) Marker
At this site on August 14, 1874, the American District Telegraph Company of Baltimore city was founded to provide messenger services to homes and businesses. Customers used a call box to summon a messenger boy who delivered and responded to telegraphs. With increased technology, customers could also alert rescuers through the call box during an emergency. When telephones replaced telegraphs around 1900, the company pivoted to protecting commercial buildings with ADT watchmen on patrol. Through the decades, ADT grew and continued innovating, eventually providing residential security in the 1980s. Today, ADT provides safe, smart and sustainable solutions to more than six million customers nationwide.
Dedicated on August 14, 2023, to launch ADT's 150th anniversary celebration, in partnership with the City of Baltimore and the Baltimore National Heritage Area.
Erected 2023 by ADT, Inc.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Communications • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical date for this entry is August 14, 1874.
Location. 39° 17.379′ N, 76° 36.671′ W. Marker is in Baltimore, Maryland. It is in Downtown. It is on East Baltimore Street west of South Street, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map.
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Regionally, this marker is in Central Maryland. It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic and in the Chesapeake Bay Region. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies and also the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Rembrandt Peale (within shouting distance of this marker); First Gas Street Lamp in America (within shouting distance of this marker); The Garrett Building (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Lovely Lane Meeting House (about 300 feet away); This Bomb (about 300 feet away); The Banking House of Alexander Brown & Sons (about 300 feet away); The Munsey Building (about 300 feet away); Continental Trust Building (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Baltimore.
Another marker is no longer nearby. Alex. Brown & Sons Company Building (was about 400 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), December 1, 2023
2. American District Telegraph (ADT) Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on December 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 1, 2023, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 567 times since then and 70 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 1, 2023, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
