Our History

Written in 1988 by Haven Kolb

Interest in the "natural sciences", in distinction to mathematical, historical, philological and other forms of knowledge, has had a rather chequered career in the Baltimore region. As early as 1797 an organization that included such an interest was founded there. It had a brief existence. A generation later another organization appeared; it too met an early end. Baltimore was a thriving city and bustled with energy,but its prosperity was commercial and the interests of its citizens centered primarily, though certainly not entirely, on mercantile affairs. Later in the nineteenth century an organization that endures today was founded: the Maryland Academy of Sciences.

The Academy had some active researchers among its members in the latter part of the nineteenth century, notably Phillip Uhler, still remembered as a leading student of Heteroptera. It also published a set of transactions. However, by the 1920's the organization had greatly declined in vigor. Dissatisfied with the situation, a small group of Academy members founded and incorporated The Natural History Society of Maryland in 1929. It is this institution that publishes The Maryland Naturalist.

The use of the word "Maryland" in the title of this and many other organizations, past and present, deserves a brief comment. The geography of Maryland is such – a state seemingly cut out to exhibit the maximum of geological, topographical, and meteorological diversity in minimum area – that centrifugal forces always dominate centripetal. The western end of the state barely escaped being cut off from the rest at the three-mile isthmus at Hancock. The eastern part, while not cut off, particularly during the heyday of water transportation, nevertheless developed its own distinctive culture. And, especially during this century, the burgeoning of Washington has caused a large area to be dominated by federal rather than by state concerns. hence many Maryland institutions, including the one about which we are writing here, are really representative primarily of the north central part of the state, of which Baltimore is still the hub.

The intent of the founders of the Natural History Society of Maryland was, as the name implied, to concentrate on certain aspects of natural science only. Even at the time, its name had a certain quaintness, but it derived from the model of the New York institution to which some of the founders had ties. The fields that the founders aimed to cultivate were also exemplified in the activities of the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences. Essentially the interests of the members were focused upon the occurrence and distribution of the living things found in the state, the geological and mineralogical background in which they live and the archeological remains from the pre-European human inhabitants. The amassing of collections to illustrate these interests was the principal activity of the members and reporting on this activity was a major function of the publication that the new Society soon began to produce.

During the first ten years of its existence the members of The Natural History Society acquired a headquarters building, filled it with natural history collections, and wrote (and, with few exception, produced on their mimeograph machines) a larger number of publications. Toward the end of the period the Society, by arrangement with the City of Baltimore, completely re-furbished an old building in Druid Hill Park and turned it into a natural history museum that was modest in extent, but thoughtful in design and, in any case, the only such public museum the city had. This museum endured about 35 years.

The outbreak of the second World War curtailed the activities of the Society and modified their nature, but it did not interrupt the flow of publications. Although the war's end brought back many active workers, the in-house production of publications ceased. The weekly gathering of members at the headquarters building declined in attendance as new sources of entertainment and intellectual stimulation developed. Interests changed. Collecting of specimens did not decline, but attention shifted to ecological rather than taxonomic problems. There was an increasing specialization in interests. This resulted in the founding of new organizations, notably the Maryland Ornithological Society, which for several years had its headquarters in the building of the Natural History Society.

In 1960 the opportunity to move the headquarters arose. The old location was threatened by "urban renewal" construction. A new building was acquired along one of the main thoroughfares of the city and not far from the Homewood campus of the Johns Hopkins University. The amount of available space was reduced by the move but upkeep expenses were also reduced and accessibility was greatly improved. When the city authorities decided to devote the Druid Hill Park museum building to other purposes, the collections and exhibits housed there also had to be fitted into the headquarters building. Nevertheless, space was found for a small meeting room. And the monthly lectures that date from the very beginning of the Society continued.

In the past forty years other special interest organizations in the fields cultivated by the Society have arisen, such as ones in archeology, entomology, conchology, herpetology, and paleontology. Some have survived and some have not; none have their own headquarters and so , while avoiding many expenses, must depend upon other organizations for meeting space. One such organization should be mentioned in particular. Since its beginning, the Maryland Herpetological Society has been closely associated with the Natural History Society. It meets in Natural History Society headquarters, curates the herpetological collections of the Department of Herpetology, maintains its membership through the Natural History Society office and publishes its journal through that office.

As this is written the Natural History Society of Maryland is in its sixtieth year.* In addition to its collections in herpetology, mineralogy, ornithology, mammalogy, entomology, conchology, botany, paleontology, and archeology – all primarily of Maryland – the Society maintains a library, its publications, and an occasional newsletter. Now all of this is accomplished by a band of devoted volunteers, assisted by one one-day-a-week employee.

*This article was written in 1988.