The Port of Baltimore

The Port of Baltimore. . , The story of Baltimore's port is older than the city itself. In 1706, two decades before the founding of Baltimore, Maryland's colonial legislators designated Whetstone Point, near where Fort McHenry now sits, as an official port of entry for the state's tobacco trade with England., As the century progressed, five smaller ports merged to become what we know today as the Port of Baltimore. the local development of the highly maneuverable Baltimore Clipper ships gave rise to the fabric and flour mill industries. International trade was booming, especially to and from the Caribbean, which facilitated the human trafficking of enslaved people to Baltimore. By the early 1800s, Baltimore had grown into the third-largest city in the US. By the early 1900s, Batlimore was the second-largest seaport in the US for waterborne commerce., Baltimore thrived as a port city because of its geographic position. The city is significantly closer to Midwest markets than any other eastern port and goods could be transported faster and cheaper by first being routed up the Chesapeake Bay to Baltimore, reducing the distance of overland travel. The launch of America's first commercial railroad here in 1828 further fueled Baltimore's economy. By 1906 the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad connected 13 states, bringing raw materials to Baltimore to be turned into manufactured goods and shipped around the world., [Sidebar:] , The Port of Baltimore continues to act as an economic engine in the region generating over $2.5 billion in revenue annually. More than 15,000 Marylanders are employed in direct jobs created by the Port with an additional 20,000 employed in jobs indirectly tied to the Port.