Separate But Equal? Desegregating Baltimore's Golf Courses*

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Between the time of its opening, in 1923, and 1956, when the last vestiges of official segregation were swept away by the courts, the Carroll Park Municipal Golf Course in Baltimore, Maryland, figured prominently in the struggle to desegregate the city's recreational facilities. In this article we use historical sources to examine how access to Carroll Park was shaped by issues of race and ethnicity during the first half of the twentieth century, focusing specifically on the role the park played in the struggle to desegregate Baltimore's golf courses. We also consider how this victory ultimately contributed to desegregation at the city's other recreational facilities, including ball fields and swimming pools.

• Baltimore
• civil rights
• environmental justice
• segregation

* This research was supported by two grants from the National Science Foundation: deb 0423476 and sbe‐hsd 0624159. We thank Craig Colten and two anonymous reviewers for their thoughtful comments and sage advice.

1 Mr. Wells is a doctoral student in geography at Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas. 66506.

2 Dr. Buckley is an associate professor of geography at Ohio University, Athens, Ohio 45701.

3 Dr. Boone is an associate professor of geography at Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287.

* This research was supported by two grants from the National Science Foundation: deb 0423476 and sbe‐hsd 0624159. We thank Craig Colten and two anonymous reviewers for their thoughtful comments and sage advice.

1 Mr. Wells is a doctoral student in geography at Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas. 66506.

2 Dr. Buckley is an associate professor of geography at Ohio University, Athens, Ohio 45701.

3 Dr. Boone is an associate professor of geography at Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287.

Notes

* This research was supported by two grants from the National Science Foundation: deb 0423476 and sbe‐hsd 0624159. We thank Craig Colten and two anonymous reviewers for their thoughtful comments and sage advice.

1 Mr. Wells is a doctoral student in geography at Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas. 66506.

2 Dr. Buckley is an associate professor of geography at Ohio University, Athens, Ohio 45701.

3 Dr. Boone is an associate professor of geography at Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287.