As America prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary, Radio One Baltimore is highlighting the local landmarks and neighborhoods that helped shape our nation’s story. Among them is Fell’s Point, one of Baltimore’s oldest waterfront communities and a neighborhood whose rich African American history is woven into the city’s maritime legacy.
Founded in the 1760s, Fell’s Point became Baltimore’s first deep-water port and quickly grew into an international shipping hub. Its bustling waterfront attracted a diverse population, including both free and enslaved Black residents who played a vital role in the city’s thriving maritime economy. Many found work as shipbuilders, caulkers, sailors, laborers and skilled craftsmen whose expertise helped establish Baltimore as one of the nation’s leading ports.
To commemorate the 220th anniversary of Fell’s Point’s incorporation into Baltimore City alongside Jones Town and Baltimore Town, the Fell’s Point Preservation Society hosted a lecture series exploring the neighborhood’s African American heritage and the lasting impact Black residents had on the community’s development…