The Hampton district in Baltimore is the place to go for exciting, eclectic, unusual and just weird times. A great little ‘Dive’ bar is the Rocket to Venus. Great food, cool decorations and extremely friendly staff makes a visit here so satisfying.

The bar gets its unusual name based on a true story from the neighborhood. Geoff Danek, the owner, bought a home near the bar for an easier commute. One night a patron asked him if knew that in 1928, three men in the neighborhood decided to build a rocket to Venus. Even more interesting, his home and the garage located there is where the actual rocket was built.

Brothers Harry and Sterling Uhler and Robert Condit, conspired to take on this massive task, using angle iron, pipe and sailcloth built a twenty four foot rocket that was powered by fifty gallons of gasoline. They estimate that about five thousand dollars was invested in material and equipment to achieve the task. Why Venus? They all felt that Mars was too far away. 

Many problems were not addressed such as what to eat or drink on the distant planet. Or for that matter even how to get back home. But they figured those problems could be solved when needed. Oh there was no way to steer the ship. Neverles they forged on.

According to Harry, “We estimated that if we could get the ship off the ground, and traveling at 25,000 miles an hour, it would pull out of the earth's gravity about 40 miles up and coast right on over to Venus.”

So on a clear day in August 1928, Robert entered the ship and threw the switch to start the mission. There are many different stories about what happened next.

From all this Geoff and his friend “Buck” Carey, have begun to research all the details of this story and to document all that happened. Including traveling the nation to try and find the rocket, if it still exists.

The web site for their documentary film can be found at: https://rockettovenusfilm.com/

Rocket to Venus
http://www.rockettovenus.com/
(410) 235-7887 3360 
Rocket To Venus
Hours: Friday - Saturday	12PM–12AM
       Sunday	                12–11PM
       Monday - Thursday	5–11PM

       Kitchen                  12–11PM

Copyright Roy Richard