The Baltimore Salt Box: an unusual thing in an unusual city. What are they, who makes them, and why do some of them have artwork? During the pandemic, artists turned to these humble objects as a way to express not only their artistic abilities, but also their civic pride.
Baltimore Salt Boxes are wooden boxes with hinged covers distributed annually to supplement the city's snow removal and road salting operations. They are a service of Baltimore's Department of Transportation, and are distributed around the city in the late fall in anticipation of winter weather.
The Baltimore salt boxes are meant for steep hills or areas too narrow for salt trucks to reach during a snow event. They are filled with road salt and sand for residents to spread as needed to assist with traction and prevent or melt icy patches on city streets.
We decided to find out more about the city's love for these bright boxes by talking to Robert "Saltbox Bob" Atkinson, writer of the Saltbox Concern Volume 1, Carpenter Godfrey Brown and Carpenter II Charles "Pete" Peterson of the Baltimore Department of Transportation, and Juliet Ames, a local artist who decided to make the Salt Box on her street a little more unusual. Check out more from our Traditions series and be sure to order a copy of Saltbox Concern – The Journal of the Baltimore Saltbox, Vol. 1!
This episode of Traditions was filmed by Greg Bowen and Julia Golonka, and edited by Julia Golonka.