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January 2006
It was great to see so many neighbors and so much great food at the annual holiday potluck. As always, a great time was had by all. I was especially pleased to see neighbors who had recently moved away coming back for the potluck. Thanks to St. Andrew's Church and everyone who helped make the evening possible. This marks my last newsletter message as president of the Butchers Hill Association. It has been my pleasure to serve as president for the past two years, and I'm proud of what we've accomplished. The next president inherits a vital and energetic organization with a wealth of dedicated people. I look forward to continuing my involvement with the Butchers Hill Association in a supporting role. And I can strongly recommend getting involved with the BHA to everyone in the neighborhood: it is a tremendously rewarding experience to work with the residents of this fantastic community. Thanks to everyone who has provided hard work, a new idea or a different point of view. --Dave Dyer. BALTIMORE OFFICE OF PROMOTION & THE ARTS GRANTS The Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts is currently seeking applicants for the Believe in Your Neighborhood Program, which provides non-profit organizations with cash grants from $200 up to $1,000 to fund neighborhood events such as festivals, street fairs, fundraisers and concerts. The program funds events produced by Baltimore City neighborhood associations and nonprofit community-based organizations. It is managed by the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts and made possible through the generous support of Comcast. The application deadline for neighborhood events taking place through June 2006 is Friday, February 3 at 5 p.m. The deadline for events from July through December 2006 is Friday, June 2 at 5 p.m. Additionally, artists, performers and writers who add to Baltimore's cultural abundance may now receive funding through the City Arts & Humanities Grants Program for individual artists, community arts projects and small arts organizations. The program provides grants of as much as $4,000 for quality and creative programming in the humanities, visual, performing and literary arts. The grants intend to promote interest, involve communities and provide accessibility to the arts throughout Baltimore's neighborhoods. Grant applications are now being accepted through Friday, February 17, 2006. For more information, visit BOPA's website at www.promotionandarts.com.
PATTERSON PARK PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE
All community members welcome! BHA COMMITTEES AND MONTHLY MEETINGS
GET UN"STUFF"ED! Got old Butchers Hill stuff: newsletters, minutes, pictures (or copies), newspaper articles, events notes, posters, etc.? Good news, get ready to unclutter your closet or basement. Call Sandy (410-558-0149) or Carolyn (410-522-4991) to let us know about how much "stuff" you have. We are planning to have a Bring-Sort-Cull Party sometime mid-March or mid-April. Once collected and collated it will be archived at the University of Baltimore. The next scheduled community dumpster will be in March. In the meantime, remember that city residents, using their own vehicle (car, van, unmodified 3/4 ton pick-up) can dump at the city transfer stations for free, Monday through Saturday, 9 to 5. The one nearest us is the Eastern Sanitation Yard (6101 Bowleys Lane; does not accept building materials). For big items, the Quarantine Road landfill (6100 Quarantine Road) is easiest to use, since the dumpsters sit below the level of the vehicle. For more information, go to: www.baltimorecity.gov/government/dpw/waste.html. Have you noticed that our neighborhood has fewer of those unsightly plastic bags that get stuck in tree branches? Continuing a decade-long tradition, Butchers Hill residents Clint Roby and Steve Young go out several times a season with their "tree-debagging" poles and clean the trees. By the way, the trees around School 27 were noticeably freer of plastic bags this time around; it's obvious that the school grounds are being kept much cleaner. JANUARY BUTCHERS HILL GENERAL MEETING
Wednesday, January 4th. Coffee & cookies, 6:45 p.m. Meeting 7:00 p.m.
St. Andrew's Church hall, corner of Chester & Lombard Streets (entrance on
Lombard). Contact Dave Dyer, 410-342-7655. The Nominating Committee will present the following slate at the January 4th meeting of the Butchers Hill Association. Nominations from the floor may be made at that time, providing the nominee has consented to serve. You must be a Butchers Hill Association member to vote.
-1950 IN BUTCHERS HILL- World War II had been over for five years and many of our buildings had been converted to apartments during the war. Nationally, jobs and housing were in short supply. New families from other states were coming to Baltimore to look for work. One such family was that of James Gibson who came to Baltimore from Tennessee. Mr. Gibson had worked in the coal mines there and was looking for other work. He found a job here with a trucking company. He, his wife, three-year old Don, and two-year old Barbara found housing in Butchers Hill. They first lived in a basement apartment at 100 N. Chester and later moved to a larger apartment at 2050 Fairmount, a very large corner house that faced Chester, since their family had grown with the arrival of a new brother, Tim. (Both early homes were torn down in the mid 1960's to build our current Commodore John Rodgers Elementary School). In the 1950's, Castle Street between Baltimore and Fayette was full of little alley houses, and the grounds of the school supported houses similar to those on the south side of Fairmount and the east side of Chester. One of Barbara's earliest memories of that time was going with her brother and his little red wagon to sell the fish their father caught to neighbors on Fairmount and Castle. They were also very much aware of the discrimination they felt by long time residents-"they were those hillbillies from Tennessee"; some neighbors wanted them to leave. But Mr. Gibson said they were not leaving, and he went on to buy Chris' Bar (corner Fairmount and Chester) and 22 properties in the area, most of them for back taxes. Chris' Bar in those early days was a meeting place for many of the older men in the neighborhood who enjoyed drinking draft beer and sharing conversation in the two booths at the bar. Barbara remembers during her teen years having to move from 2050 Fairmount to make room for the new school and living for a time in an apartment at 23 N Chester for $12 a week and then at 107 N Collington, before her father bought their first house on Moyer for $2,500. The Lerners, an older couple, ran a store and lived above the building on the SE corner of Chester and Fairmount (now Jo's store). The Lerners were friendly and allowed responsible families to keep a tab at their store as long as residents paid on it weekly. Barbara did housekeeping for the Lerners during her early teens, getting $5 and lunch for 12 hours of work on Saturdays; she remembers Mrs. Lerner insisting that the floors be scrubbed by hand. There was a bookie who operated out of the dry cleaning store in the 2100 block of Fairmount, and this upset Barbara's mother very much. Mrs. Gibson often helped Bea Gaddy by cooking for her in the early days. Barbara and Don attended the old School 27 (now the Woodbourne Center in the 2000 block of Fayette) and high school at the old Patterson on Lombard and Ellwood ( now Highlandtown Middle School). During their early years at School 27, schools throughout the country were being integrated, following the Brown vs. Board of Education victory. Barbara proudly remembers having both black and white school friends; other early school remembrances include getting polio shots at school, serving as a school "Safety" on the playground, and wanting to take some of the nice clothes that were donated to the school for children, but her father wouldn't let her. During our interview, Barbara showed me some wonderful pictures of her childhood in our neighborhood, and it occurs to me that many residents, long-time and new, might have photographs that would help tell our neighborhood history. Anyone interested in working on such a project? --Carolyn Boitnott. COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD A CPR Class will be held at St. Andrew's Orthodox Church hall at noon on the 8th of January. It will be conducted by trainers certified by the American Heart Association. The cost is $10. People can sign up on January 1 (Sunday) between 11:30 and 12:30 in the church hall or call Fr. Ted at 410-276-3422. All sign-ups must be done by January 1st, since we have to tell the AHA how many will be participating. A Tailgate Party will be held on January 22nd at St. Andrew's Orthodox Church hall, corner of Chester and Lombard Streets. The menu will consist of grilled hamburgers, hotdogs, chilidogs and various salads. Please call Fr. Ted at 410-276-3422 for ticket information. We will also have another football signed by Matt Stover for auction.
Reliable house sitter for home in Butchers Hill required for February-March or portion thereof. Education Committee, December 2005: As I think about what has happened with the schools in our community this past year I realize that in terms of our public school options we in Butchers Hill have a great deal to be thankful for this holiday season. Commodore John Rodgers School (School 27) continues to improve and thrive under Mrs. Dawn Shirey's leadership. She has managed to significantly increase parental participation in the school with the "Family Fun Nights." Attendance at parent-teacher type functions has increased from 4 to 5 people (including Carolyn Boitnott) at a PTA meeting to over a 100 participants in the quarterly family fun events. Community members report that volunteering at the school is far more rewarding to them then they could ever have imagined. Community members have showered the school with generosity this year during the adopt-a-teacher event and local business persons have contributed so that the locks and clocks at the school actually function! The Patterson Park Public Charter School (PPPCS) opened with over 300 students who are embracing their new environment. PPPCS is undergoing typical start-up challenges as well as coping with under-funding from Baltimore City, and is working through the appeals process in an attempt to secure the funds that would ordinarily be allocated to a city school. The founders and parents have bake sales at the Muse toy store in Fells Point on weekends in order to supplement uniform costs for students who need financial assistance. I am continually impressed by the commitment of the parents who work tirelessly to make certain that PPPCS is successful. BHA has contributed money to help equip the parent resource center as well money for supplies for classrooms. All in all this community has two exceptional options for parents of school-age children. We on the education committee are thankful for the support the BHA community provides-YOU make it possible to believe that we can make a difference. Listed here are the individuals from the business community who provided financial support to the BHA Education Committee fundraiser this year. If you see these folks, please thank them. --Martha DelPizzo.
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PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
