Images of America – Fell’s Point
by Jacqueline Greff, published by Arcadia Publishing
About the Book
Fell’s Point, Baltimore’s original deep-water port, was founded in 1726 by William Fell, a shipbuilder from England. The community’s shipyards developed the famed Baltimore Clippers; built two of the first ships in the US Navy, the USS Constellation and the USS Enterprise; and financed the privateers that helped win the War of 1812.
In the late 19th century, Baltimore was second only to Ellis Island as an entry port for European immigrants, many of whom initially settled in Fell’s Point. When the Great Fire of 1904 swept through Baltimore, Fell’s Point was the only historic neighborhood that survived. In the 1960s fight to keep from being demolished for an expressway, Fell’s Point became Maryland’s first district listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Today in Fell’s Point, cultures, lifestyles, and generations mingle in a romantic seaport setting accented by working tugboats, cobblestone streets, tiny brick rowhouses, and a dazzling variety of bars, restaurants, shops and coffeehouses.
Images of America: Fell’s Point includes histories of famous places reinvented through time, such as Brown’s Wharf and the Robert Long House, and influential people, such as Frederick Douglass and Senator Barbara Mikulski. 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.
The Images of America series celebrates the history of neighborhoods, towns, and cities across the country. Using archival photographs, each title represents the distinctive stories from the past that shape the character of the community today. Arcadia is proud to play a part in the preservation of local heritage, making history available to all.
Sample photos from book
Michael borisky
I would like to contact Jaqueline to see if in her research she ever saw a painting or a portrait of captain, Jeremiah Yellit, who was one of the first privateers and merchants in Fells point. He died in 1805, and was also credited with designing the Clippership, as well as overseeing the construction of the original constellation. Thank you.
jagreff
Michael, sorry to be so slow to respond. That book was published in 2005 and I needed to look through my archives to check. I couldn’t find any personal records about him, but had more luck on the internet. There seems to be a variety of spellings for his last name, “Yellott” also being common. He was married to Mary Hollingsworth, and I have seen information about that family, as well as a “Hollingsworth-Steel house” in Fell’s Point.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/99768895/jeremiah-yellott_yeliot
https://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/speccol/sc2900/sc2908/000001/000426/html/am426–448.html
Barbara
Hello,
Was Fell’s Point a common port of entry for immigrants coming from Ireland? My ancestor immigrated in 1762 from No. Ireland and I believe he travelled by wagon to the Shenandoah Valley via the Great Wagon Road since I find land purchases in his name a few years later. I can’t locate any immigration information for him; Solomon Whitley. Do you have info about ships entering Fells Point in that year?
jagreff
According to the book, “Early immigrants coming to Baltimore sailed directly into Fell’s Point. However, after the Irish potato famine in the mid-1840s and the German political uprisings of 1848, the numbers became so great that the B&O Railroad constructed terminals across the river at Locust Point, next to Fort McHenry.” This is all the information I have. I am mostly a documentary producer, not a historian.