As a tribute to Baltimore hosting the ACRL 2017 Conference, this month’s cover features the Patterson Park Observatory, designed in 1890 by Charles H. Latrobe (1833–1902), then Superintendent of Parks. Visitors who climb to the top of the ornamental Victorian structure, colloquially known as the Pagoda, can view downtown Baltimore, its many neighborhoods and beyond to the Patapsco River, Key Bridge, and Fort McHenry. The structure is located on Hampstead Hill, which served as a key defensive position against British forces in the Battle of Baltimore during the War of 1812.

The photo comes from a historic 1907 Baltimore Standard Guide that is part of the Loyola-Notre Dame Library Archives and Special Collections. To learn more visit www.loyola.edu/library/archives/archives.htm.

Image courtesy of Loyola-Notre Dame Library.