Westminster Hall: the spookiest place in Baltimore

Amy Davis 0 Comment Maryland, Photo essays, The Baltimore Sun Edgar Allan Poe, Fayette Street, General John Stricker, graves, Halloween, tombstones, Westminster Burying Grounds and Catacombs, Westminster Hall

24 Photos

Fake foam tombstones, polyester-spun cobwebs, and elaborate “haunted” houses abound during the Halloween season, but if you want to see the real thing, head to Westminster Hall at 519 W. Fayette Street. An 18th century historic burial ground and catacombs, simultaneously macabre and serene, lies directly across North Greene Street from the looming glass tower of the Baltimore VA Medical Center. Edgar Allan Poe’s gravesite attracts the most attention, but many prominent civic and military leaders are buried here.

Baltimore cobbler shutters his neighborhood store

Mar 8, 2013

Baltimore cobbler shutters his neighborhood store

Karl Merton Ferron 1 Comment Maryland, The Baltimore Sun cobbler, Fayette Street, Jamaica, Kingston, Malcolm Spaulding, Malcolm's Shoe Repair, shoes

14 photos

The corner store seems innocuous enough; faded signs advertise above the crumbling plaster of a whitewashed exterior, which mask the flavor and heritage of photos, paintings and the warm smile of a man who still has a twinkle in his eye as he shares how proud he feels about having been a cobbler for 37 years.

Malcolm Spaulding, 66, received ten shillings to invest in the shoe repair service, trying to earn a living in his homeland of Kingston, Jamaica. He eventually moved to Baltimore, opening his business 37 years ago.