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From the American Revolutionary War through Baltimore's current urban renaissance, the story of Fells Point has been one of daring and determination. Two hundred years ago, Fells Point produced many of the ships and sailors that won the Revolution and in February, 1978, resident individuals and groups of this southeastern harbor front area won an 18-year battle to preserve its historical and architectural integrity. Between these major achievements, the neighborhood has both suffered and prospered with the changes of time. But it has never fully succumbed to those changes.
Established in 1730 by William Fell, an immigrant from Lancashire, England, Fells Point began as a family mansion and small shipyard to build two- masted ships--a prelude to the mighty port the area would soon become. In 1773, William’s son Edward had the Copers Harbor area of the Fells family tract land laid out into a town to be called Fells Point, choosing English names for the streets (Thames and Shakespeare), and idyllic names for the alleys (Apple, Strawberry, Happy and Petticoat). With its ideal location, 16-foot draft, and the proximity of nearby iron foundries and large timber tracts of white oak, locust, and red cedar, Fells Point rapidly became a shipbuilding center for the colonies, and the home of many of the famous Baltimore Clippers. By the time the Revolutionary War began, Fells Point shipbuilders and mariners were equal to the task before them. The first two ships in the American Navy--the Wasp and the Hornet were commissioned at Fells Point, and by the War's end in 1783, 248 privateers had sailed from Baltimore, many built in Fells Point.
During the peacetime years around the turn of the century, Fells Point continued to thrive. The Fells Point Market, one of the three markets planned for Baltimore, was built at the end of Market Street (now Broad- way) on land donated by William Fell, grandson of the area's founder. The port experienced a phenomenal in- crease in commerce during these years, amounting to almost 60,000 tons a year by 1797, and many ship owners and captains came to the area to live. They built brick houses, most of them two and one-half stories high, with two dormers in the roof. The country rooms or offices usually occupied the first floor and the living area was confined to the upper floors, with children’s and servants' quarters in the attic.
But this era of peacetime prosperity lasted only until 1812, when once again the outbreak of war focused the energies of Fells Point on privateering. By this time, the local shipyard had refined the Baltimore Clipper to near perfection, especially in the speed and maneuverability which privateering required. During the War, 126 privateers operated out of Baltimore, capturing over 500 British ships. And the four most successful privateering ships-- the Rossie, the Rolla, the Corn- et, and the Chasseur-- were built by Thomas Kemp in his small Fells Point shipyard at Washington and Aliceanna Streets. Each of these seized scores of ships and hundreds of thousands of dollars of cargo. In fact, the Chasseur--also known as the Pride of Baltimore--carried the war to the home waters of England, where Captain Thomas Boyle proclaimed from on board that Britain itself was in a "state of strict and rigorous blockade." For eight months, the Chasseur proved such a threat to English shipping that the British admiralty dispatched six warships to hunt her down; each, at one time or another, sighted and chased the Chasseur, with no success.
But the glory of the clipper ships faded quickly in the depression that followed the War of 1812. Inflation, yellow fever, and an oversupply of Baltimore Clippers brought ship- building and commerce almost to a halt, and, in desperation, Fells Point shipyards converted clippers for the slave trade.
One of the signs of recovery from the depression was the launching in 1833 of the Ann McKim. Built at Philpot and Point Streets, she was the forerunner of an illustrious fleet designed to make the American merchant marine known in every port of the globe. Between 1840 and 1895, 75 vessels engaged in the prosperous Brazilian coffee trade. Two of the largest facilities for handling coffee in that period are still in use today--Brown's Wharf at the foot of Broadway and Bell's Wharf at the foot of Fell Street.
But once again, progress had its price. In 1867, an agreement was reached between Baltimore and Bremen for service by at least two iron steamers. Because the wharves in Fells Point were too small for these large new ships, John Garrett, President of the B&O, decided to develop nearby Locust Point into a modern deepwater terminal.
As sail gave way to steam, the Fells Point shipyards were forced to close and were quickly acquired by lumber, canning and packaging companies. As the character of Fells Point became increasingly industrial, a new wave of immigrants came to the area to live and work. As Polish Catholics, their first concern was to found a parish and build a church, completed in 1880, with school facilities on the southwest corner of Ann and Aliceanna Streets.
But the residential character of Fells Point continued to deteriorate during the first few decades of the 20th century, as many of the original houses were razed for industrial expansion. Perhaps the lowest point in its 250-year history was in 1960, when the plan for Baltimore's East-West expressway was shifted from the north side of the City's business district to the south side--along the Fells Point waterfront. This announcement launched the community once again into battle for its survival, the most difficult battle yet. After 18 years of meetings, hearings, suits and countersuits, the Society for the Preservation of Federal Hill, Fells Point and Montgomery Street had found a way to save the neighborhood from the highway system, and to pre- serve the living heritage of the City's history.
Fells Point became the first National Registered Historic District in Maryland in 1969, and in 1978, it was announced that the highway would be built west of the area. Today, dozens of homes have been fully restored, and many more restorations are in progress. The area is alive with shops, galleries and restaurants, and at the bottom of Broadway, a beautiful brick promenade opens out onto the harbor, where the Baltimore Clippers used to rest.
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