Category: Decades

Christmas in Old Baltimore with Historian Wayne Schaumburg

On Thursday, December 12, 2019 we welcomed Baltimore historian and educator Wayne R. Schaumburg for a talk on “Christmas In Old Baltimore” to learn all about Baltimore holiday traditions and how they have changed over the years! Mr. Schaumburg focused on some of Baltimore’s great holiday customs from the 1940s to the 1960s, including downtown shopping, visiting Santa, the Toytown Parade, firehouse train gardens, aluminum trees and more.

Before Mr. Schaumberg’s talk, we welcomed visitors to tour the Heritage Society — all decked out for the holidays — and enjoy light refreshments.

2019 Heritage Society Annual Holiday Open House and Tree Lighting

We are holding our annual Essex Tree Lighting & Holiday Open House on Saturday, December 7th, 2019 from 5 to 7 pm.  Please join us for this fun family event featuring a fire truck parade for Santa’s arrival, special gifts for the kids, photos with Santa, a DJ, snacks and more. This event is always FREE for the community, and last year we had more than 400 guests! It’s a great way to kick off the holidays!

2018 Museum Christmas Tree Lighting


Dec. 8th, 2018: Holiday Tree Lighting and Museum Open House
For our 2019 Annual Open House and Tree Lighting we planned a fun family event with a visit from Santa courtesy of Essex Volunteer Fire Company, gifts for the kids, music by DJ Leon Moses and MC Karie May, snacks and more. Our tree has been generously donated by Paul Stiffler of Frostee Tree Farm in memory of its founders, George and Helen Winter who ran the business for more than 30 years. Special thanks to our tree lighting committee members from The CORE Group, CLIFF’S HI-TECH AUTO BODY SHOP INC., Weavers Marine Service Inc, Back River Restoration Committee, and Stiffler’s Service Center.

Dec. 13th and Dec. 20th, 2019: Holiday Open House