If Homewood’s Walls Could Talk: A History of an American House

October 21, 2025 – January 10, 2027

Homewood Museum
On view with regular admission, Free-$12

In conjunction with the 250th anniversary of the United States and the 150th anniversary of Johns Hopkins University, this house-wide exhibition explores Homewood’s 224-year history, from its 1801 construction for the family of Declaration of Independence signer and enslaver Charles Carroll of Carrollton, through its 1902 acquisition by Johns Hopkins University, to its 1980s restoration and launch as a historic house museum. Using archival photography, textiles, student diaries, historic documents, furniture, oral histories, and more, the exhibition amplifies the voices of those who lived, worked, or learned at Homewood, allowing visitors to understand how individual histories contribute to a larger story of the house, the university, and the United States. Read more here.

The exhibition and related programming are made possible, in part, by the Johns Hopkins University Sesquicentennial Celebration, with additional support from John Guess, A&S ’71, SAIS ’76 (MA); Hopkins Retrospective; and the Program in Museums & Society at the Krieger School of Arts & Sciences.

Upcoming Programming

Retrospectives: Curators Share the History of Homewood and Hopkins

Thursday, February 26, 6-8 P.M. | FREE

Join Hopkins Retrospective for a panel discussion on the creativity and historical research behind If Homewood’s Walls Could Talk and Dreams of Scholarship: 150 Years of Discovery with exhibition curators Michelle Fitzgerald and Margaret Burri, students who participated in research for the exhibition, and other guest panelists. Following the panel, visitors may explore the Homewood exhibition and enjoy refreshments.

Decision Points at Homewood House

Thursday, March 5, 5-6 P.M. | $5-7

From 1936 to 1971, five presidents of Johns Hopkins and other top administrators had their offices at Homewood House, as it was then known. There, they made impactful and often surprising decisions, setting Hopkins on a distinctive course as higher education underwent fundamental changes. Andrew Jewett, a teaching professor at Johns Hopkins University and co-author of the forthcoming book Johns Hopkins: The First 150 Years, will trace those fraught decades and the decisions made in Homewood that still reverberate today.

Advance registration required.

The Power of Song

Thursday, April 16, 6-7 P.M. | FREE

Inspired by themes of protest and resistance in If Homewood’s Wall Could Talk, this program will showcase the songs that soundtracked the student movements of the late 1960s and ’70s. Gather outside at Homewood to hear songs performed by soprano Teresa Ferrara and readings of student and faculty oral histories. Lyrics will be made available to facilitate singalongs.

Advance registration required.

Past Programming