In the 1800s, Baltimore waterfront was alive with the sound of shipyards, where Baltimore citizens were constantly building, repairing, and outfitting vessels. Frederick Douglas himself began his working life in Baltimore as a ship's caulker, exemplifying the importance of maritime trades to the city's history.
A major tall-ship project of this scale has not been seen on Baltimore's Inner Harbor for Decades. The most notable comparisons include:
Pride of Baltimore, built in the open-air shipyard on the west shore of the Inner Harbor in 1976-77. Launched in 1977 and commissioned by Mayor Schaefer. She was launched using a barge crane right next to the Maryland Science Center.
Lady Maryland built by Living Classrooms Foundation as a replica 19th-century pungy schooner. Built in Baltimore's harbor in 1986, she still sails both the harbor and the Chesapeake Bay serving as a floating classroom for thousands of students annually.