934 Eutaw Street
During WWII, strict rationing of meat and gasoline opened opportunities for the Arabbers.[1] Using horse-drawn carts, they made fresh fruits and vegetables accessible to residents across the city. In 1942, The Baltimore Sun reported a significant change to 934 Eutaw Street.[2] At the beginning of the war, the site had housed a 22-car garage, but by 1942 such a structure was not only impractical, it was un-American. George Hamm purchased the site, painted over the “garage” sign and changed it to “stable.” He converted the parking spaces to stalls and housed 22 horses. For Hamm, it was the realization of a lifelong dream. During the war, then, Arabbing helped to relieve a variety of issues. It provided blacks with access to independent work, free from racist hiring practices.[3] It demonstrated black people’s commitment to the war effort, and their willingness to support rationing and work around shortages. Arabbers ensured that Baltimoreans ate healthy food, and they brought it right to front doors across the city.
Unfortunately, this success was temporary, and Hamm’s stable may not have survived for very long. There is no record of its existing in the mid-1960s. “Fruit,” James Chase recalled that many stables closed during the period of “urban renewal,”[4] during which many neighborhoods were demolished to clear perceived blight or to make way for new highways, shopping centers, and large tourist attractions.
[1] Deutsch, Building a Housewife’s Paradise, 156-158.
[2] “The Old Gray Mare Returns to Eutaw Street ‘Garage’” Baltimore Sun Newspaper, May 30, 1942.
[3] Carl Schoettler, “For Black Steel Men, the Living Wasn’t Easy,” The Baltimore Sun Newspaper (February 02, 1998). This article discusses a newly released documentary about Bethlehem Steel at the Sparrows Point plant. One of the largest employers in Baltimore, it also practiced racist hiring methods.
[4] James Chase, interview by Sydney Jenkins, February 22, 2017.