Samuel Shoemaker House - Baltimore MD - Signs of History on Waymarking.com

Samuel Shoemaker House-This imposing townhouse, built in 1853, was the home of Samuel Shoemaker, organizer of the Adams Express Company. The company that began in 1840 with one man and a satchel grew into a Goliath in the next few decades, serving every state and Territory in the land and employing 50,000 people. All means of transportation were used - rail, river, wagon and coach - to transport all manner of goods, from bridal flowers to newspapers to gold to corpses. All were "tenderly yet... swiftly transported" to their destinations.

To Shoemaker goes the credit for organizing and extending the express business throughout the South and West. In 1841, he was asked by E.S. Sanford, of Adams Express, to help organize an express line between Philadelphia and Baltimore. A few months later, Shoemaker and Sanford expanded their business to include Richmond and Charleston, South Carolina. In the next decade, the two men extended their lines, under the name of Adams Express Company, throughout the West and South until the extent of their business was great than that of any one line of railroad in the country. In 1854, various express businesses were consolidated into a joint stock company under the name of Addams Express Company. Shoemaker remained one of the principal managers until his death in 1884.

Group that erected the marker: The City of Baltimore, 901 Lt. Partnership, sponsor, and William Donald Schaefer, mayor. Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary: 901 St Paul Street Baltimore, MD United States 21202 URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Take a picture of the marker, preferably including yourself or your GPSr in the photo. A very detailed description of your visit may be substituted for a photo. In any case please provide a description of your visit. A description of only "Visited" or "Saw it while on vacation" by anyone other than the person creating the waymark may be deleted by the waymark owner or the category officers.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log   09/24/2021 Don.Morfe visited it