Composition:

This 1,440 sq. ft. mural was the Eagle Scout project of 14-year-old Boy Scout, Clark LeCompte in 1997.   It depicts the Catonsville Junction prior to the 1960s when the Caton Tavern stood on the SE corner of Edmondson and Dutton Avenues, now the site of the 7-Eleven. The mural traces the ¼ mile route of the #8 streetcar from the Catonsville Junction to Frederick Road.  Over the years, the mural has been touched up and maintained by local artists including the Kaleidoscope! Arts Camp.

WBALTV 11 Article:

Berley Roberts Sr. broke barriers as first Black streetcar operator in Baltimore

Donors:

• Mariner Health Nursing Center (now Autumn Lake)
• Catonsville Lion’s Club
• Duron Paints
• Community donations

1. Berley Roberts, Sr., – A small group of young African American men changed the course of Baltimore history just by sitting in the operator’s seat of a streetcar. In 1952, these men were the first to operate transit vehicles for the Baltimore Transit Company (BTC) and they sometimes endured difficult circumstances in this modest step toward equality.

One of those brave young men was Berley Roberts Sr., who started with BTC in 1946.  He began his career as a Shopman cleaning streetcars and was the first African American to operate a streetcar on the No. 8 Towson-Catonsville route.  These men endured racial slurs and harassment, including being spit on, but Mr. Roberts and his fellow rookie operators endured.  His philosophy was as eloquent as it was direct: “Somebody’s got to break it in, so I may as well start.”

“Break it in” he did.  Mr. Roberts persevered and won the friendship and respect of his passengers.  His kindness and good nature had everyone on the #8 route wanting to ride with him regularly.  In 1952, an additional 100 African American men were promoted to operators, thanks to Mr. Roberts’ first brave step.  In 1989, after a 43-year career in Baltimore transportation, Mr. Robrtsd retired and passed away in 2001, at the age of 76.

In 2021, Catonsville Rails To Trails (CRTT) was refurbishing the #8 Streetcar Mural painted by 14 year old Eagle Scout, Clark LeCompte in 1997.  They decided to add figures to the mural and began searching for the under-told stories of minorities and woman.  After a visit to the Baltimore Streetcar Museum, CRTT found Mr. Roberts’ story and decided to feature him as the driver on the mural.

Attempts to share this with Mr. Roberts’ children were unsuccessful until February 1, 2023, when his daughter, 75-year-old Sheila Roberts Lewis contacted, Maureen Sweeney Smith, VP of Catonsville Rails To Trails.   Shelia’s niece saw the mural on the internet and she wanted directions to the mural.   Instead, Maureen offered a tour in a motorized vehicle.  CRTT’s streetcar historian, Dave Ditman, was on hand to answer questions about the streetcar era.

2. Sheldon Smith – The small figure raking in the background is a tribute to local resident Sheldon Smith’s hard work on all the trails.
3. The Barkeeps—Will Willgrub and his son Irvine operated the Caton Tavern on the southeast corner of Dutton and Edmondson Avenues (now the 7-Eleven). The tavern moved to its present location at 1705 Edmondson Ave. in 1964, and the old building was torn down. An automobile service station was built on the site of the old tavern, which was replaced by a 7-Eleven Convenience Store in the 1980s.
4. Girls Peering into the Bar Window – The little blond girl peeking in the window represents Mary Twigg, owner of Dickeyville Day Nursery. She grew up on Rosewood Ave. and enjoyed care-free days at the Catonsville Junction as a child in the 1930s. She sent a firsthand account of the Catonsville Junction and recalls, “Visits to the Junction were filled with intrigue as we peeked in the open door of the old bar. It looked so dark and sinister and smelled so sinful…we never knew what might emerge, but the anticipation of danger for little dirty kneed children was delicious.”
5. The Pig Path—The little pigs peeking through the fence were part of the small farm owned by the Porter Family, who resided at 102 Smithwood Ave. Due to the smell, Mr. Porter kept the pigs away from the house in a pasture bordering the streetcar tracks, which neighborhood kids dubbed “The Pig Path.”
6. In-Law Houses—The two small cottages along the trail were known as In-Law houses. They were part of the land tract of the larger houses fronting Smithwood Ave. In the days before retirement centers, these in-law houses were the perfect place for Grandma to live.
7. A Busy Commercial Area – With three streetcar lines (#8, #9, #14) converging at this location, hundreds of commuters scurried through this area every rush hour. Over the years, many small businesses served commuters, including automobile service stations, an apartment house, a barber shop, a beauty shop, a shoe repair store, a blacksmith shop, a car repair shop, and an old gas pump drive.
8. Girls Sitting in the Field – Mary Twigg grew up on Rosewood Ave. and enjoyed carefree days at the Catonsville Junction. As a child in the 1930s, she recalled, “We played in the woods and picked wildflowers along the edge of the woods. What an idyllic time that was. I remember that some yards along the path were planted with hollyhocks, and as we walked along in the warm sun, the bees and dragonflies zoomed around us.  Sometimes, we had to sit down to rest and eat our candy and, as we did, fashioned little dolls with wide pink skirts and hats from the hollyhock blossoms”.
9. The Station at Frederick Rd. – This elevated passenger waiting shelter was built around 1900, primarily for the benefit of the Terminal Hotel (now Matthew’s Restaurant), which James Stoddard owned. Before the electric streetcar era, from 1862 until 1896, this area had a stable and barn for the horses that pulled the street cars. A set of steps on the west side of the shelter deposited the user onto the Frederick Avenue roadway. As automobiles became popular in the 1920s, Catonsville newspapers reported streetcar patrons being hit by autos as they stepped off the shelter stairway. The shelter was removed when Frederick Road was widened in 1951.