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This newsletter often features stories of the history of Butchers Hill and celebrates neighborhood assets. As we meet our neighbors and invite them to share their histories, we are learning that the greatest assets of Butchers Hill are the people who live here. In an effort to celebrate the diversity of Butchers Hill, we have decided to profile two residents in each newsletter. Do you know a neighbor who has an interesting story? Let us know! (2123 E. Pratt or dlaflamm@excite.com) And please give us feedback on this new feature. Thank you!

--David and Kelly Laflamme

Twenty-five years ago, a religious sister asked Mary Halcott to help start a center to support families in Butchers Hill. The life-long Baltimore resident claimed, "I didn’t know anything, it was the grace of God." Sister Sarah knew that Mary’s experiences as a mother of thirteen children would help her in the task. Today, Julie Community Center is a cornerstone non-profit organization in Southeast Baltimore, celebrating their silver anniversary of community service.

During the same decade, Mary and her husband, Charles joined neighbors in forming the Committee for Citizens’ Rights. This neighborhood group worked for over four years to create a neighborhood park out of an abandoned lot on Duncan Street, between Pratt and Lombard. Mary described their vision for the lot as, "a tranquil place to get away from the rush of the city." Despite some lobbies for a playground, some protests for a laundromat, and the death of Charles Halcott, the community group succeeded in achieving their vision. Halcott Square, also known as Duncan Street Park, was dedicated in 1978. Mary credits the commitment of her neighbors, especially Mary Supio, for the realization of the dream. Over twenty years later, this park is still a place where neighbors gather for book club meetings, potlucks, and games of chess.

In the mid-1980s, a priest called on Mary to help start a place where poor families could go for help at St. Michael’s Church. Mary interviewed clients when they came to the center called Joseph House and learned about their needs. She then provided referrals to vital community resources. Mary made home visits to clients. "To let people know we are concerned – that people care about them," she explained. This summer Joseph House closed when the religious sisters who were in charge were called to other duties. The closing has been a hardship for many neighborhood families who depend on the center for food and other support. Although now in her eighties, Mary remains committed to helping her neighbors and has been an integral part in reviving the center, now called St. Michael’s Community Center.

Welton Hunt moved to Baltimore in 1974 from Robeson County, NC. His parents were sharecroppers who moved from farm to farm when the work ran out. Growing up in a wooden shotgun style shack might not have been easy, but it gave Welton a foundation on which to build the rest of his life. Welton is a man of many talents, not the least of which is carrying on a good conversation.

Starting out in an apartment at 2027 E. Baltimore, he later moved to 2029 where he still resides today. There was a time when he thought he might have to leave Butchers Hill…and therein lies the story. You see, an absentee landlord sent out sixty-six eviction notices in the summer of 1977. Many of his tenants were poor families struggling to make a life for themselves in Baltimore.

Welton at the time was going through a bout of depression after the death of his father. He spent a lot of his time inside his home, rarely coming outside. One day, Sister Sarah Fahy, SND, visited him to talk about the houses being sold. She told him that he and the other tenants had a choice, and could fight back if they didn’t want to move. Welton rose to the challenge, coming out of his depression and becoming the founding president of the Concerned Citizens of Butchers Hill (CCBH). The CCBH gave the people who were going to be evicted a unified voice with which to declare their desire to stay in their homes in Butchers Hill. The CCBH was successful in saving the homes.

Welton believes in the power of neighbors helping neighbors because he has experienced it firsthand. He acknowledges that Butchers Hill has many residents from diverse backgrounds that are not as well integrated as he would like. He points out that the BHA has done a lot of good work, but hasn’t yet managed to attract a membership as diverse as the population it serves despite efforts to do so. What does Welton think will attract a more representative membership that will give Butchers Hill an even stronger voice? It’s a difficult question, but underlying Welton’s lengthy answer to this question is the core belief that there must be "something for everyone" in BHA membership. His examples of unmet needs include literacy (he notes that many people can’t even read this newsletter) and GED programs, and first-time home buying seminars for people with lower income levels. He believes these are things that are good for Butchers Hill and the residents that live here. Instead of fostering a "not in my backyard" (NIMBY) attitude, they would provide a way for neighbors to help neighbors improve their quality of life – a good thing for all of Butchers Hill.

Today, Welton runs the food pantry at the Church of God on E. Baltimore and contributes his rich Southern cooking skills to Homecomings and other church events. He spends time talking with and helping neighbors whenever he can. And, he is looking for donations of warm clothes to give away to local people who will need them this winter – so be sure to contact him if you are cleaning out your winter closet. And, regardless of whether or not you have any clothing to donate, strike up a conversation with him if you ever get the chance. You won’t regret it.