Monument City » Civil Service

Mother Catherine McAuley Statue (Baltimore, MD)

admin — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:16:02 +0000

Location

Saint Paul Place & E Pleasant Street (Street View)

GPS: 39° 17′ 35.91″ N 76° 36′ 48.54″ W

History

Born near Dublin, Ireland, in 1778, Mother Catherine McAuley dedicated her storied life to helping others. A devote catholic, McAuley was challenged when, after her parents died, she was sent to live with anti-catholic relatives. This difficult period in her life only strengthened her convictions and she began establishing the Sisters of Mercy. The organization’s goal was to aid suffering families and children as well as training women for employment. When Catherine was in her mid-twenties a Quaker family offered her residence in their home. The family grew to adore her and when they passed away they left their entire estate to their adopted daughter. In 1827, McAuley used this money to set up her first House of Mercy. In 1990, Pope John Paul II declared her Venerable, a first step towards official sainthood.

Notes

The Mother Catherine McAuley monument in front of Baltimore’s Mercy Hospital was installed on November 11, 2000. The tablet and statue commemorate the 125th anniversary of the Sisters of Mercy.

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Links

On Flickr & Panoramio
Catherine McAuley on Wikipedia

Police Memorial (Baltimore, MD)

admin — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:21:14 +0000

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Location

E Baltimore Street & S President Street (Street View)

GPS: 39° 17′ 25.51″ N 76° 36′ 20.80″ W

History

In 1972, Mayor William Donald Schaefer presented the Women’s Civic League, a local community service organization, with the idea of renovating the former residence of Baltimore’s second mayor, Thorowgood Smith. The house, built around 1794, is located next to the historic Phoenix Shot Tower directly behind the Police Memorial. Now known as Shot Tower Park, the small tract of land across the street from Police Headquarters contains one of the largest installations in honor of fallen officers in the United States. The memorial contains three statues, a large panel of inscribed names and various dedication plaques. Unveiled in 1978, the monuments face City Hall and War Memorial Plaza, adding to the dignified appearance of the downtown location.

Notes

Donald Pomerleau was Police Commissioner during the memorial’s construction. Pomerleau was hired by the International Association of Chiefs of Police in 1965, and sent to Baltimore to examine the city’s law enforcement system during the peek of the civil rights movement. He found the police force to be as corrupt and antiquated as any in the country. He spent the next fifteen years integrating officers and correcting the mistakes of his predecessors. Pomerleau retired from the force in 1981, three years after the memorial’s completion.

Nearby

Links

On Flickr & Panoramio
Baltimore Police Memorial Fund

Baltimore City Fire Fighter’s Monument (Baltimore, MD)

admin — Tue, 19 May 2009 17:06:20 +0000

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Location

N Gay Street & E Lexington Street (Street View)

GPS: 39° 17′ 29.05″ N 76° 36′ 33.06″ W

History

This monument dates from 1990 and is by artist Tylden Streett, who taught for a time at the Maryland Institute College of Art and was also responsible for the statue of Capt. John O’Donnell in Canton Square. The monument is dedicated to all members of the Baltimore City Fire Department, past, present and future. Erected by the Baltimore City Fire Fighter’s Monument Committee, the statue cost some $150,000, much of which was raised by private donations.

Notes

The statue stands at the north-east corner of War Memorial Plaza, outside of the plaza proper. A sister memorial to Baltimore City’s police lies just to the east across the terminus of the highway, within view of the Shot Tower.

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Links