Union Square in Baltimore, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Henry Louis Mencken House
"The older I grow the more I distrust the familiar doctrine that age brings wisdom."
Mencken, 1922
"I have believed all my life in free thought and free speech — up to and including the utmost limits of the endurable."
Mencken, 1940
Henry Louis "H. L." Mencken was born on Lexington Street on September 12, 1880. His father hoped his eldest son would continue the family cigar manufacturing business, but after his father's death in 1899, Mencken headed straight for The Baltimore Morning Herald. By the age of 25, he was the paper's editor-in-chief. When the Herald folded in 1906, Mencken began his long association with The Baltimore Sunpapers, where his outspoken and entertaining views soon won him a national following.
Besides his work as a journalist, the "Sage of Baltimore" was a literary critic, magazine editor, authority on American linguistics, amateur musician, and essayist of American life. During the 1920s, his influence as an iconoclast challenging the status quo was so widespread that The New York Times called him "the most powerful private citizen in the United States."
Mencken and his family moved into this house in 1883. He lived here until his death on January 29,
this page online
National Historic Landmark
Baltimore City Landmark
Baltimore National Heritage Area
Erected 2016 by Baltimore National Heritage Area, Sponsor; Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Mayor (rededication).
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Communications • Landmarks. In addition, it is included in the Maryland, Baltimore City historical markers, and the National Historic Landmarks series lists. A significant historical date for this entry is January 29, 1956.
Location. 39° 17.25′ N, 76° 38.511′ W. Marker is in Baltimore, Maryland. It is in Union Square. Marker is on Hollins Street just east of South Gilmor Street, on the left when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1524 Hollins Street, Baltimore MD 21223, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. H. L. Mencken House (here, next to this marker); World War I Memorial (approx. ¼ mile away); Bon Secours Hospital (approx. 0.4 miles away); CSX Corporation (approx. half a mile away); B&O Railroad Museum (approx. half a mile away); Main Line Electrification of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) 1895 (approx. half a mile away); Connectivity: Street Art at the Intersection of Rail, Community, & Identity
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. This marker has replaced the linked marker.
Credits. This page was last revised on March 22, 2024. It was originally submitted on March 22, 2024, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 41 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 22, 2024, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
