BNHA Carlton Street Stables
Affiliations
Baltimore City Landmark
Endangered Maryland
Interpretive Framework
Seeking Prosperity on the Chesapeake: Baltimore History from Colonial Times through the 1800s
Shaping a Monumental City: The City’s Growth in the 20th Century
112 S. Carlton St.
Baltimore, Maryland 21223
The Carlton Street Stables are located on an alley street behind a row of mid-19th-century houses in West Baltimore. The whole site, now home to Baltimore’s unique arabbers, includes a two-story brick structure with a one-story shed additions and side and rear yards. The property is the oldest continually used urban horse stable in Baltimore. Built or rebuilt by Charlie Boyd around 1899, the stable was used to house mules that pulled two-wheeled city dump carts. Walter Kratz bought it in 1912 to house arab horses.
Baltimore is the only city in the United States that continues the arabber tradition. Locally dating to the late 18th century, arabbing is a tradition of horse cart vending that has developed into an African American folk tradition representing a rich piece of urban culture. The stables were designated as a Baltimore City Landmark in 1999.
Source: Baltimore City Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation