Scottish-born Robert Gilmor (1748-1822) brought his young family to Baltimore from the Eastern Shore at the outset of the Revolutionary War. Profiting from wartime shipping and industry, Gilmore emerged in the 1790s as one of Baltimore's leading merchant princes.
The Gilmore vault, probably built between 1812 and 1821, may have been designed by Robert Mills, architect of Baltimore's Washington Monuemnt. In use until 1900, it originally housed the remains of 16 family members and a family nurse. In 1885 the bodes of Robert Gilmor, his wife and their children, along with the nurse, were moved to Greenmount Cemetery.
Family Nurse
Patience Marsh, a nurse in the Gilmore household, was one of the only African Americans, and non-church members, buried in Westminster. Marsh, who died in 1855, was evidently held in such high regard that her remains where moved to Greenmount Cemetery along with other Gilmors in 1885.
[painting]
Patron of the Arts Robert Gilmor's eldest son, Robert, Jr., became one of America's earliest art patrons. In 1846, he offered his collection of European Old Masters and works by Francis Guy, Thomas Cole, Gilbert Stuart, Thomas Sully, Henry Inman and John Trumbull to the fledgling Smithsonian. His offer was declined and most of Gilmor's unrivaled holdings would be dispersed after his death in 1848.
Robert Gilmor, Jr. by Henry Inman, oil on canvas, ca. 1832-1833
The Maryland Historical Society
[painting]
Summer Estate Wealthy Baltimoreans built summer homes to escape the oppressive heat and threat of disease. Beech Hill, the Gilmor's 10-acre estate located west of town - about a mile west of here - commanded a sweeping view of the booming waterfront city.
View of the Bay from Beech Hill by Francis Guy, oil on canvas, 1804
The Maryland Historical Society
Comments 0 comments