8 Reasons to Visit Green Mount Cemetery

The Live Baltimore team was honored and privileged to receive an exclusive guided tour of the historic Green Mount Cemetery in East Baltimore.

Opened in 1839, this urban-rural cemetery is the final resting place of some of Baltimore’s most influential figures. Our passionate tour guide, Johns Hopkins, Executive Director of Baltimore Heritage, left us with a wealth of historical facts, quirky anecdotes, and a renewed sense of pride in our City. Here’s what our team had to say.

Mary Elizabeth Garrett

The only daughter of philanthropist and B&O Railroad president John W. Garrett, Mary Elizabeth Garrett, is the reason Johns Hopkins University Medical School exists today. Thanks to her Women’s Medical School Fund Campaign, she raised $100,000 to start the medical school with the condition that women be accepted just as equally as men. After several failed attempts to raise the money without her, the school finally gave in to her terms, changing the world of medical science as we know it.

“I enjoyed learning about Mary Elizabeth Garrett and her contributions to women’s–EVERYTHING. Particularly women’s rights and education.”

Julie French, Director of Operations

Albert C. Ritchie

Maryland’s famous anti-prohibition governor now resides at Green Mount Cemetery. Ritchie served four terms as governor and dominated Maryland politics for over 20 years. Despite this fact, many of the team found it more impressive that he supported Maryland being the only state to reject enforcement of federal prohibition laws in the 1920s.

Enoch Pratt

The Enoch Pratt Free Library we now know, with 22 locations across the city, began as a single central library with only four other branches. America’s first free lending library was originally a gift to the 1882 Mayor and City Council of Baltimore by Enoch Pratt to be inclusive to all readers. In fact, stairs were not allowed in the original buildings to allow the elderly and mothers with strollers equal accessibility.

“It was touching to hear the Enoch Pratt Free Library story. It’s something that we should all be proud to hear as Baltimoreans.”

–Suzi Senna, Director of Marketing & Communications

Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte

One of Baltimore City’s most beloved parks, Patterson Park, would not have come to be without the generous donation of Irish shipping merchant William Patterson, one of the wealthiest men in Maryland at the time. What may be even more interesting, however, is the story of his daughter, Elizabeth, and her brief time spent as a member of French nobility. Also known as Besty Bonaparte, she was once married to Jerome Bonaparte, against the blessings of his older brother Napoleon I. Though her marriage was annulled and short-lived, she still became known as one of America’s first international celebrities.

A.S. Abell

Another resident of Green Mount Cemetery is the founder of The Baltimore Sun and namesake of the Abell neighborhood, A.S. Abell. This grave site had to be one of the most unique styles we had seen on the tour. It featured a casket-style design embellished with various flowers representing each season. It seems appropriate for the publisher who used carrier pigeons to deliver war news faster than the American government.

“Ghosts are real; Baltimore is haunted, and that is a good thing.”

–Jordan Klumpp, Business Relationship Manager

Elijah Bond

Though the patentee of the infamous paranormal game, the Ouija Board, Elijah Bond, has been buried in Green Mount Cemetery for over 100 years, his grave remained unmarked until 2022. Now that Bond has a gravestone, designed like the board he’s so famously known for, many paranormal enthusiasts visit and leave him gifts of all kinds.

Johns Hopkins’ Knowledge

Our knowledgeable tour guide, Johns Hopkins, has been the Executive Director of Baltimore Heritage since 2003. Baltimore Heritage is a nonprofit organization dedicated to saving historic buildings and revitalizing neighborhoods in Baltimore. In addition to this role, Johns is a descendant of the Hopkins family and continues to educate those interested in Baltimore City history passionately.

“Engaging with a person who is passionate about the detailed history of Baltimore is truly amazing. The many ways that people love Baltimore is energizing.”

–Neekta Khorsand, Director of Programs

Baltimore’s Influence on America

It would take years to dive into all the history of the 68 acres of Green Mount Cemetery. The 65,000 individuals who now reside there have influenced so much of the culture and development of Baltimore City, Maryland, and America.

“Baltimoreans have contributed so much to not only Baltimore history but American history. It made me feel really inspired that there are so many influential Baltimoreans who were laid to rest here.”

–Annie Milli, Executive Director

If you’re interested in Baltimore history or want a good spook, sign up for one of Baltimore Heritage’s Green Mount Cemetery tours! It may be the last neighborhood you ever live in. 👻