The Maryland colonial General Assembly
created the Port of Baltimore at Locust Point in 1706 for the tobacco trade.
The Town of Baltimore was founded on July 30, 1729, and is named after Lord
Baltimore (Cecilius Calvert), who was the first Proprietary Governor of the
Province of Maryland. Cecilius Calvert was a son of George Calvert, who became
the First Lord Baltimore of County Longford, Ireland in 1625. Baltimore grew
swiftly in the 18th century as a granary for sugar-producing colonies in the
Caribbean. The profit from sugar encouraged the cultivation of cane and the
importation of food.
