“Industry may be gears and wheels and noise and stores and factories, but the heart and soul of industry are PEOPLE who are called by an archetypal work ethic to be productive, be useful.” -Linda Glass, BMI supporter
The grandchild of a Baltimore shipwright, Linda Glass spent her early years in Baltimore. To her, industry is way more than just heavy machinery: it’s the people she saw every day.
Linda recounts a story about Jimmy “The Shoeshine Boy” at Gino’s Barber Shop. Jimmy worked at the shop every day and made close connections with Glass’s family. Years later, Jimmy went to medical school and became a doctor. He returned to Gino’s to buy his shoeshine kit, a memento of his roots as a young black boy growing up and working in Baltimore. “Jimmy,” Linda says, “is a person of industry.”
Likewise, young boys worked in front of the Brooklyn A&P. They lined up on the sidewalk with their makeshift wagons, prepared to assist shoppers on their way home. Some of the same boys could be seen playing in the street on scooters they made out of orange crates and discarded roller skates. Whether at work or at play, these children were people of industry.
Linda didn’t always view Baltimore and its people as remarkable. After all, they were part of her everyday life. Now, she looks back with both nostalgia and hope for the future generations of our great city.
Memories like Linda’s document Baltimore’s past, and breathe life into the industrial objects the BMI collects and preserves for you.
Like Linda, you are a part of the Baltimore story. We depend on your continued support so that the BMI will always be a place where you can remember, connect, and be inspired.
Linda’s grandfather (pictured here with his dog Dot) was born on Tilghman Island in 1874, and made his living as a shipwright. In addition to building boats, he was also a fisherman, a crabber, an oyster man, and a duck hunter. Whatever was in season, he did it, in addition to hiring out as a fisherman guide.
The BMI needs your help NOW to preserve Baltimore’s industrial heritage. Whatever you choose to give, know that YOUR donation is essential to the BMI and to preserving and sharing Baltimore’s industrial story.
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