Mission Statement

The Maryland Historical Society serves the people of Maryland, and those interested in Maryland history, through stewardship of comprehensive library and museum collections that are central to the state’s history, by promoting scholarship through publications and by providing educational services at our own campus and throughout the state.

The H. Furlong Baldwin Library’s collections are both diverse and substantive. The library enables researchers, teachers, and students to see for themselves the records of the past, and to study and learn from its many treasures. The library’s collections include 60,000 books, 800,000 photographs, 5 million manuscripts, 6,500 prints and broadsides, 1 million pieces of printed ephemera, extensive genealogy indexes, and more, reflecting the history of Maryland and its people. These collections are accessible to visitors on-line and at the MdHS campus in Baltimore.

The MdHS museum features an incredible collection that celebrates Maryland’s rich and diverse history, from 18th- and 19th-century paintings and silver to 20th-century objects of everyday life. Among its more than 350,000 objects, the most significant collection of Maryland cultural artifacts in the world, are over 2,000 paintings including the largest collection of works of art by members of the Peale family, a significant collection of maritime-related artifacts, and important collections of 19th-century Maryland painted and inlaid furniture, silver, quilts, costumes, ceramics, dolls and toys.

Since its founding in 1844, the society has been committed to publishing new scholarship on the state’s history and material culture. Through books and the quarterly Maryland Historical Magazine, MdHS publications provide a forum for Maryland topics of scholarly and general interest. The society sponsors a dynamic schedule of educational programs and special events to make Maryland’s history come alive for visitors of all ages. Lectures, symposia, living history performances, weekend programs for children, gallery tours, and many other public programs, held both on- and off-site, promote pride and understanding of Maryland’s rich history. MdHS school based programming provides Maryland teachers and their students with important supplemental materials and experiential learning opportunities to augment classroom teaching on Maryland and United States social studies topics.