A Place Called Poppleton is an ongoing cultural documentation project focused on the rich history, folklife, and culture of the Poppleton neighborhood of West Baltimore. Beginning in 2020, UMBC professors and students have worked collaboratively with the Poppleton Now Community Association, residents, faith communities, community organizations, artists, and youth organizations to document, understand, and preserve the rich traditions and history of West Baltimore neighborhoods.
Spring 2023: “I am your neighbor” Profiles of Poppleton
Project Overview: “I am Your Neighbor”: Profiles of Poppleton is an oral history project collecting interviews with elders, culture bearers, artists, and those involved in foodways, faith communities, and other cultural traditions in the historic West Baltimore neighborhood of Poppleton. The project is designed to understand what it means to be a neighbor, to live in a neighborhood, and how residents experience changes in their neighborhood over time. Students presented short films based on our interviews and debuted a community newspaper with the neighborhood’s history, neighborhood profiles, and neighbors visions for the future on Saturday, May 20. This project is a collaboration between UMBC courses in American Studies and Media & Communications + community partners.
Download Community Newspaper here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1avYt3NQ_dDikHkQWFhjruCGO_WBBzxaR/view?usp=sharing
Designed by Markele Cullins https://www.markelecullins.com/
AMST 422: Prof. Nicole King w/students Tristan Diaz, Karla Press-Porter, Lexi Tyson, Jacob Mooney, Josh Masser, Evelyn Yuen, and Adrianna Ebron (graduate assistant)
MCS 395: Prof. Bill Shewbridge w/students Tirrell Bethel, Julianna Dove, Spencer Gaynor, Gwen Pacis, Marlon Brown, Logan Hellebuyck, Trey Fleece, Kyle Hoff, Cam Stockenberg, and Rory Sullivan
Student produced films:
We also worked on a Poppleton Walking Tour in ArchGIS: Click HERE.
We thank all the Poppleton residents who welcomed us into their neighborhood, especially those we interviewed–Sonia Eaddy, Damon Barnes, Dotie Page, Trinity McFadden, Marina Protopapas, and Ivan Leshinsky and the Poppleton Now Community Association. Also, we thank Dean Krimmel of Creative Museum Services, Adam Droneburg, Baynard Woods, and Charles Cohen of Eyesore Productions.
We appreciate support from the Department of American Studies, Public Humanities @ UMBC, and the Maryland State Arts Council Maryland Folklife Network.
Summer, 2022
Eaddy Family Wins the Battle for Their Home: “This victory is for us–all of us,” says Sonia Eaddy.
For more information see Press, Media & Publications.
https://www.facebook.com/CharmTVBaltimore/videos/426704996174724
Spring, 2022
During Spring 2022, students in AMST 380/680: Community in America continued work on the A Place Called Poppleton project. Students updated the Save Our Block zine and brochure on the campaign to reopen the Poppleton Rec Center.
Students worked with Poppleton residents to document, analyze, preserve, and raise awareness about the stories of the Poppleton neighborhood and the movements to preserve a historic block and reopen an important recreation center.
AMST 380/680 Spring 2022 students Clarence Snuggs, Jessica Burstrem, Thomas Tchaou, Jacob Daley, Rami Tadros, Karen Hayes-Karn, Michael Ayi, Jordan Ehart, Jordan Johnson, Kaleb Levery, Ceci McElroy, Malcolm Ostrander, Alexander Viado, Jessica Wood, Larissa Kuonen
Press Release for the Poppleton Film Fest
Trailer – Poppleton in the BalanceVimeo.
Fall, 2021
During the Fall 2021 semester, students in AMST 380: Community in America continued to work on the A Place Called Poppleton II project. Students created a digital timeline on Poppleton and worked on the Save Our Block zine. We continued to document, analyze, and preserve the stories of the block where the Sarah Ann Street alley houses and Eaddy rowhomes are located. Students in MCS MLL 495/695 Video Ethnography produced short films from interviews in the field on how local stakeholders feel about the neighborhood’s changes related to redevelopment.
Voices of Poppleton  |
We want to thank the people who took time to talk with us from Poppleton…
Angela Banks – Paulette Carroll – Sonia and Curtis Eaddy – Curtis Eaddy II – Shae McCoy – Mildred Newman – Patricia Nickelson – Francina Walker
AMST 380 Students: Emily Chetelat – Eduardo Orellana – Karla Press-Porter – Sophia Shaikh- Brian Tregoning – Maria Morte Costea (grad student collaborator)
MCS MLL 495 Matthieu Carral-Viens, Deysi Chitic-Amaya, Prince Coulibaly, Jacob Daley,Ian Diaz, Calvin Thomas Frias, Alexandra Hulett, Emma Jarvis, J’mar Smith
The zine designed by Markele Cullins
Knight Lab timeline designed by Karla Press-Porter
Spring, 2021
In spring 2021 A Place Called Poppleton debuted to document the history and culture of the Poppleton neighborhood of Southwest Baltimore. UMBC students produced a StoryMap digital walking tour of the neighborhood with a focus on the area’s Black history and places lost or endangered due to redevelopment. We seek to document and share engaging stories of the past and present through archival research and listening to those who live, work, and are connected to Poppleton.
The project is a collaboration between Nicole King’s Preserving Places, Making Spaces in Baltimore course and Bill Shewbridge’s MCS Media Production fellows. King’s American Studies students researched the history of Poppleton and Shewbridge’s students produced short films from interviews in the field on the history of Poppleton and how local stakeholders feel about the neighborhood’s changes related to redevelopment.
Voices of Poppleton      |
AMST 422 Students:
Kwame Amoh, Forrest Caskey, Mitch Casper, Emily Chetelat, Bob Cross, Brandon Delivuk, Lauren Garry-Schoonover, Claire Gautrois, Phillip-Mathew Golden, Kayla Miller, Cameron Rybacki, and Alex Tomlinson
MCS Production Fellows:
Deysi Chitic-Amaya, Leah Iannuzzi, Ashlee Kreiger, Sam Murrill, Justin Okpara, Eva Tsitohay