Baltimore, home of the umbrella

BALTIMORE (Map, News) - What goes up, and protects you from the rain?

Umbrellas — umbra is Latin for shade, hence “little shade.”

The first umbrella seen in this country was possessed by a man in Baltimore in 1772 that purchased one from a ship just returned from India.

Used in India as sun shades for centuries, it occurred to him that one ought to do just as well as a rain shade.

At the sight of this man carrying the alien instrument over his head, women ran from fright, horses became wild, and jeering children trailed him.

Despite theses unpleasant experiences, there was an effort to reintroduce their use.

Popularity gained when physicians recommended them to keep off fevers and sore-eyes.

In 1882 Francis Beehler, a woodcarver from Germany, became the first to manufacture umbrellas in this county.

The factory on East Baltimore Street produced two sizes — 26 and 28 inches — and for years those set the standard for all umbrellas made in Baltimore.

The business flourished through three generations.

Other companies followed, and during the 1920s Baltimore was known as the umbrella capital of the country.

For more information on Francis Beehler, visit the umbrella exhibit at the Baltimore Museum of Industry.

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