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    Fell's Point
    Fell's Point
    Fell's Point
    Ebook161 pages40 minutes

    Fell's Point

    By Jacqueline Greff, Frank L. Tybush V and Jeffrey Bejma

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    About this ebook

    Fell's Point history can be told as a "tale of two cities:" abolitionists and violent secessionists; fire-bombing murderers and community organizers; million-dollar condos and low-income projects; and world champion boxers and a myriad of panhandlers. This dichotomy has created a neighborhood unlike any other in Baltimore. One of the oldest neighborhoods in America, Fell's Point has witnessed much in its 300-plus years. Originally Baltimore's deepwater seaport, Fell's Point's privateers were crucial to winning of the War of 1812. After shipbuilding moved out and waves of immigrants moved through the community, it gradually fell into decline in the first half of the 20th century. In the 1960s, dedicated preservationists began a decade-plus-long battle to defeat city plans to demolish it for a highway. Today, Fell's Point is a thriving, artistic, and eccentric community that welcomes one and all to experience its history, its culture, and its people.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateOct 10, 2016
    ISBN9781439658048
    Fell's Point
    Author

    Jacqueline Greff

    Producer, author, and long-time resident Jacqueline Greff captures Fell's Point's story using archival photographs, paintings, and maps, as well as snapshots and tales contributed by those who reflect the community's character.

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      Book preview

      Fell's Point - Jacqueline Greff

      Greff.

      INTRODUCTION

      I moved to the Baltimore area in 2010. At that time, all I had heard was some vague association with Edgar Allan Poe, the often talked about Inner Harbor, and that John Waters had filmed a bunch of movies here. I asked a Baltimore friend what to check out. She immediately said Fell’s Point.

      On a Saturday in mid-April, my wife and I were itching to explore, so we hopped in the car and set off for Fell’s. Parking in a garage on Caroline, we drove higher and higher, looking for an empty space, finally emerging from the darkness at the very top to snag one of the few spots left. What did we see getting out of the mini-van across from us? Pirates—a whole family dressed like they walked out of a pirate film.

      My wife and I held twin confused looks. We had heard this was once a seaport with sailors, but we did not expect storybook pirates. Inquiring of one of the said pirates, we learned it was Fell’s Point’s annual Privateer Festival. There was no better day to meet Fell’s.

      Soon after, I was fortunate to get a job in Fell’s Point and was able to spend more time here. I took walks on my breaks just to explore. I checked out the shops, the architecture, the art, and most of all, the history. Walking down the Belgian block streets (never call them cobblestones to a resident), you feel like you have stepped back in time. But it is almost timeless, because unlike Colonial Williamsburg, everyone is wearing modern clothes. Pedestrians intermingle with vehicles. You can walk into centuries-old buildings and buy modern goods. On any given day, you could walk down the street and see a town crier, someone playing guitar, and even an artist right outside his shop, blaring music and creating beautiful sculptures.

      After a couple of years, the video production company where I work decided to do a web series about Fell’s Point. I suggested we focus on interesting and unique ways people are preserving its history. I learned about more past residents through ghost tours and privy digs, and even got to sail in an accurate reproduction of a Baltimore Schooner, the very ships that were built in Fell’s Point.

      This book has been a second phase of my learning about Fell’s. My coauthor Jeff Bejma loves to research deeper topics that you cannot look up in a bar on a phone. Yes, Fell’s Point did have its glory days, when its privateers helped win the War of 1812. But there was a long, dark period between those times and today’s Privateer Festivals.

      After the Civil War, Fell’s beautiful schooners were obsoleted by metal steamships, which were built downstream. Shipping took over instead of shipbuilding as the largest enterprise. Wharves and warehouses were built along most of the waterfront, with coffee, guano, and slaves as the commodities. Fell’s Point often was a holding area for slaves being sent to other cities, primarily New Orleans. Political gangs struck fear in the hearts of those who voted against them.

      Fell’s Point began a steady decline. More and more ships were unloading in the deeper waters of North Point, rather than entering Baltimore Harbor. Alternative jobs were needed. Tyson’s Baltimore Chrome Works, opened in 1845 at the end of Block Street, became a major employer and, later, a major environmental disaster. The International Longshore and Warehouse Union and Seafarers International Union grew in power, and waterfront strikes were a common occurrence. Many of the old wharves lay empty and warehouses were beginning to fall apart. The foot of Broadway was being abandoned.

      In the 1960s, Baltimore City developed a plan to use federal highway money to build an expressway connecting Interstate 95 and Interstate 83, tearing down blighted areas of the city. This would have demolished Fell’s Point and Federal Hill. The road fight, preservation, and ultimately, rebirth of the neighborhood dominated the latter half of the 20th century. Local residents fearing displacement began to fight the road commission. Preservationists fought to save the community through historical district designation. The

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