Peale Museum - History

History

Charles Willson Peale received his inspiration for a public museum in 1783 while illustrating mastodon fossils belonging to Dr. John Morgan. Once he had conceived the idea for an American museum of natural history, Charles Peale opened a museum to the public in Philadelphia on July 18, 1786. In 1810, Peale retired from his work with the museum, leaving its management and responsibility to his sons. Later in 1814, a museum was established at 225 North Holliday Street between East Saratoga and Lexington Streets in Baltimore by Rembrandt Peale - the second son of Charles Willson Peale. It was then dubbed as "Peale's Baltimore Museum and Gallery of Fine Arts" and had the early exhibits including portraits of famous Americans (many by the founder) and the complete skeleton of a prehistoric mastodon exhumed by C.W. Peale in 1801.

In 1830, the museum was sold and the exhibits were moved to a space on Calvert Street. By 1830, the building became home to the Baltimore's first City Hall to 1875 when replaced by the current Baltimore City Hall one block south on Holliday between East Lexington and Fayette Streets. Later, Number 1 Colored Primary School and was rented out to a series of private businesses. By 1928, it had been repeatedly condemned and was in danger of demolition. With the inspiration of historians and journalists, the restoration of the old museum took place with an expense of $90,000. The building was renovated and rededicated in 1931 as the Municipal Museum of Baltimore. The Museum underwent a major two year renovation starting in 1978 and was reopened in 1981 as Peale Museum. In 1985, the Peale became part of the Baltimore City Life Museums system until its closure in 1997

The entire Peale collection has been moved to the Maryland Historical Society, leaving the original building on North Holliday vacant.