Baltimore’s Druid Hill Park formally opened to the public in 1860. During the Civil War, U.S. military encampments with temporary wooden barracks populated this park as well as several others around the city. Citizens still visited the parks and sometimes made flag presentations to the troops.

The Birney Barracks, occupied by African American troops, stood south of Druid Hill Park in the vicinity of Madison and North Avenues. The above post-war print depicts Druid Hill Park looking south to where the Birney Barracks were once located.

On two separate occasions in August 1863, the city’s African American community made flag presentations to the Fourth U.S. Colored Troops, a regiment composed of many Baltimoreans, at the Birney Barracks. Ceremonies were held each time on the parade ground. A magnificent silk regimental flag (costing $75 in 1863; the equivalent of $1,200 in 2013 currency) was given to the Fourth in a ceremony…

Acting upon the invitation of the women organizers, President Abraham Lincoln agreed to preside over the opening ceremonies for the Maryland State Fair for U.S. Soldier Relief, also known as the Baltimore Sanitary Fair.* Lincoln’s appearance in Baltimore held symbolic importance for city Unionists, and perhaps, to himself. For loyal citizens it offered both a chance to display their devotion to the man who embodied the Union and cast off doubts about Baltimore’s predominant political sympathy. For the President, coming to Baltimore presented an opportunity to make amends for a past indiscretion. In March 1861, en route to his inauguration, Lincoln secreted himself through Baltimore’s darkened streets in response to the rumor of an alleged assassination plot. Already held in low regard by his affiliation with the perceived anti-Southern Republican Party, many residents regarded the President-elect’s distrustful action as an affront to their city’s honor; even Unionists expressed bewilderment. Later, the President “was…