Fells Point

Location

Fells Point is an historic waterfront community just east of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. The Fells Point Historic District occupies the area from Gough Street south to the water’s edge, roughly between Caroline and Chester Streets.

With the Jones Falls Expressway just minutes away and good connections to the northbound and southbound portions of Route 95 and the Beltway, Fell’s Point is in a very convenient location. It is also served by MTA buses and water shuttles. Residents can obtain residential parking permits.
Zip Code: 21231

Description

Fells Point is a historic waterfront community located one mile from the inner harbor. Established in 1763, Fells Point is a city, state and National Historic District and boasts over 161 buildings on the National Register, along with the oldest standing residence in Baltimore City, the Robert Long House at 812 S. Ann Street. The neighborhood is home to dozens of unique retail shops, restaurants and pubs.

History

Englishman William Fell purchased the land in 1726, realizing its potential for shipbuilding and shipping in colonial America. Beginning in 1763, his widow Ann Bond Fell and son Edward divided and sold the land to speculators and adventurers anxious to take part in the growth this natural deepwater port promised. Docks, shipyards, warehouses, stores, homes, churches and schools quickly turned Fells Point into a bustling seaport that was the commercial heart of the area. Fells Point was annexed by Baltimore Town in 1773 and then the two were incorporated, along with Jones Town, as Baltimore City in 1797. Shipping traffic moved upriver to the docks at the Inner Harbor when its channel was dredged, but shipyards thrived here, most notably as builders of the famous clipper ships that irritated the British so thoroughly during the War of 1812 that they tried to capture Baltimore by land (stopped at North Point) and sea (stopped by Fort McHenry). The neighborhood was saved again in 1967 when locals banded together to form the Society for the Preservation of Fells Point and Federal Hill, which successfully blocked the extension of Route 95 along the waterfront – a project that would have destroyed not only the Fells Point neighborhood but also the Inner Harbor basin, Federal Hill and Otterbein. Since then, the Society and various community organizations have worked to protect the local heritage and vitality of this diverse and colorful neighborhood.