March is Women’s History Month, the HSHSL will celebrate the month by honoring select UMB women through an exhibit, The First Women of the University of Maryland, Baltimore, in the Weise Gallery. The exhibit first debuted in March 2020 and was reinstalled in March 2022; this marks the third time the HSHSL honors the 150-years of Women’s History at UMB.

The University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB), first founded as the College of Medicine of Maryland in 1807, has seen several mergers with other Baltimore area Colleges and Universities and a term as a branch campus of the University of Maryland, College Park from 1920 to 1970.  The history of women at UMB is intermingled with the histories of these Baltimore schools.  Women’s history at UMB, was challenging; the first women fought hard to earn a spot as students, faculty, and staff. The women faced tremendous sexism, criticism, and discrimination but nevertheless they preserved and helped create a safer and more welcoming space for women at UMB.

The exhibit highlights the brief stories of eleven of these firsts: Dr. Emilie Foeking, Louisa Parsons, Dr. Lady Mary Johnson, Ruth Lee Briscoe, Dr. B. Olive Cole, Dr. Teresa Ora Snaith, Esther E. McCready, Dr. Ruth H. Young, Dr. Barbara C. Hansen, Alice Cary, and Dr. Natalie D. Eddington.

The exhibit will be in the Weise Gallery from February 20 to March 20, 2026.