Preserving a Legacy:
Echoes from the Key Bridge
Echoes from the Key Bridge is a multi-year initiative that preserves and amplifies the human and economic stories behind the tragic collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in March 2024. Through exhibitions, public programs, preservation, and community-driven storytelling, the project explores the bridge’s historical significance and what its loss revealed about the Port of Baltimore as a vital engine of regional and national commerce.
Rooted in the BMI’s mission to interpret the diverse and significant human stories behind labor and innovation in Baltimore, Echoes from the Key Bridge seeks to ensure that the voices of workers, immigrant families, first responders, and others affected by the collapse are not just remembered, but heard, honored, and made accessible for generations to come.
Oral Histories: Preserving Voices, Ensuring Access
In the months following the Key Bridge collapse, the BMI began conducting in-depth oral history interviews with individuals directly impacted by the tragedy. The interviews include video and audio recordings in both English and Spanish, reflecting the rich diversity of Baltimore’s port communities.
These oral histories are now part of the BMI’s permanent collection and are available to researchers, students, and the general public.
To access transcripts of the oral histories, please visit our Archives Collections
“Really being able to get into the community of impacted people and hear from them firsthand about the experience is really critical to capture the perspective of people who have often been written out of history.” – Becky Eisen, Baltimore Community Foundation
Oral History Production Behind the Scenes
Joseph DeVito, Baltimore County Fire Department
Key Bridge Exhibitions in Development
Echoes from the Key Bridge includes two original exhibitions about the Key Bridge.
Key Bridge: Building a Baltimore Landmark | Opening: March, 28, 2026
On view from March through September 2026, this exhibition explores how the bridge was imagined, debated, designed, and built, and honors the workers whose skill and courage made it possible.
Artist’s rendering of planned Port exhibition
Key Bridge Steel Installation
The BMI is planning an outdoor installation of salvaged Key Bridge steel on the museum’s waterfront campus. Freely accessible year round, this contemplative work at the water’s edge will honor the bridge’s engineering achievement and serve as a permanent reminder of its tragic collapse.
Community-Driven Collecting
The museum is actively collecting objects, photographs, and archival materials related to the bridge collapse and its ripple effects.
If you have items to contribute, please visit our artifact donation page here.
Stewarding Artistic Expression
The BMI is proud to steward elements of a community memorial mural by artist Roberto Marquez. Crafted in the days following the tragedy, this impactful artwork is a representation of collective grief as well as a celebration of collective healing.
This work has been preserved with the help of local firm Direct Dimensions using 3D scanning technology. Take a virtual tour here.
Mural Artist Roberto Marquez
Funders & Collaborators
We are deeply grateful to our funders and collaborators who are helping us bring this project to life, including:
- Baltimore Community Foundation
- Baltimore National Heritage Area
- Ports America Chesapeake and STA of Baltimore Charitable Legacy, Inc.
- Maryland Heritage Areas Authority
- The Delaplaine Foundation
- Maryland Humanities
Why It Matters
Echoes from the Key Bridge is more than a response to a moment of crisis. It is a living history project that reflects Baltimore’s enduring resilience and the dignity of work. By preserving these stories and making them accessible to all, we affirm the value of every life impacted—and the importance of collective memory.
This is a long-term project, with long-term impact. It is about Baltimore’s past and future, told through the voices of its people.
