Well, we did make it to Fell's Point!
I realized that I sort of mentioned that in passing without really explaining, so... Fell's Point is a Historic District in Baltimore, dating from 1763, which is known for it's bars and pubs, and among History students, for it's historical infamy as one, big, brothel, and for it's hooked shape.
But anyway. It's a very interesting area, partly because it was originally not part of Baltimore at all: in fact, it was quite a trip to get from one town to the other in the 18th century, as one would be traveling through swamp, essentially. Baltimore town was built on its now famous Inner Harbor, but the issue was that the Inner Harbor is actually quite shallow. Fell's Point, on the other hand, has a deep-water port, which made it relatively easy for large, ocean-going vessels to anchor there. So what ended up happening was that ships would anchor at Fell's Point, and unload their cargo onto smaller barges, which would take the goods to Baltimore. As a result, Fell's Point evolved as a more maritime community, where sailors lived between journeys (you can imagine for yourself what that community looked like), while Baltimore Town became inhabited by merchants and artisans, and was therefore somewhat more established and conservative.
Baltimore annexed Fell's Point in 1773, and that's where I'm going to leave the story until the 1900's, when much of Baltimore burned down. Fell's Point survived, making it one of the only areas where 18th century architecture survives in the city.
It was made into a Historic District in the 1960's, after it was almost destroyed to make way for a highway that was to be built through the area. There is a very long, dramatic, and fascinating story behind what I just summarized in one sentence, but I'll save that for another time.
If you're interested, Fell's Point has a website (and it's not purely about bars!) at http://www.fellspoint.us/ It's worth looking around the site-- they have some interesting videos on the architecture, and some really good stuff on the history of the area. Needless to say, I'm going to have to take another trip there on my own, so I can take my time with the place... and hopefully cover more than just one house.
Until next time, my love to all!
Tasha
I realized that I sort of mentioned that in passing without really explaining, so... Fell's Point is a Historic District in Baltimore, dating from 1763, which is known for it's bars and pubs, and among History students, for it's historical infamy as one, big, brothel, and for it's hooked shape.
But anyway. It's a very interesting area, partly because it was originally not part of Baltimore at all: in fact, it was quite a trip to get from one town to the other in the 18th century, as one would be traveling through swamp, essentially. Baltimore town was built on its now famous Inner Harbor, but the issue was that the Inner Harbor is actually quite shallow. Fell's Point, on the other hand, has a deep-water port, which made it relatively easy for large, ocean-going vessels to anchor there. So what ended up happening was that ships would anchor at Fell's Point, and unload their cargo onto smaller barges, which would take the goods to Baltimore. As a result, Fell's Point evolved as a more maritime community, where sailors lived between journeys (you can imagine for yourself what that community looked like), while Baltimore Town became inhabited by merchants and artisans, and was therefore somewhat more established and conservative.
Baltimore annexed Fell's Point in 1773, and that's where I'm going to leave the story until the 1900's, when much of Baltimore burned down. Fell's Point survived, making it one of the only areas where 18th century architecture survives in the city.
It was made into a Historic District in the 1960's, after it was almost destroyed to make way for a highway that was to be built through the area. There is a very long, dramatic, and fascinating story behind what I just summarized in one sentence, but I'll save that for another time.
Unfortunately, I couldn't get a lot of pictures, but the cornices on some of the buildings are really beautiful. This is a relatively plain brick one, but most are made of wood, and can be very ornate.
Supposedly, this is the next project for the Fell's Point Preservation Society.
Anyway, I went there on a field trip with my Historic Preservation class this afternoon. One of the 3 people who work at the Fells Point Preservation Society is the head of the Graduate program in Historic Preservation at Goucher, so we got a private tour of one of the projects they are currently working on. The building is called "The Academy," for some unknown reason, since it was never at any point an academy... It was built in 1790, and many additions were made in the 1890's. A porch was added in the 1920's, but it has since been taken off, since the Preservation Society lacks the funds to restore it.
Currently, most of the house is down to the bare bones, so you can see the old wooden frame, and the nogging (essentially bricks that were laid to fill the spaces in the frame). The Baltimore area is very rich in clay, so naturally, one finds bricks being used quite a bit, even though it was porous and a rather unreliable building material in the 18th and 19th centuries. Usually, one finds brick being covered up by wood or by Form Stone (such as in the house above).
An original doorframe.
The plans.
The original staircase.
One can see some of the original nogging here. Apparently, they are going to keep part of this area uncovered, so visitors can see the different layers of the wall.
Wallpaper from the 1920's.
Some of the original roof.
A view from the back of the house.
This is what is known as a sally port. The more recognized usage of the word describes a secure entrance, usually to a prison or a fort (and of course, Fort McHenry has many of them). These, however, are simply entrances to alleys that lead to the back of a house. Though I suppose they fit the definition of a "secure entrance." They would have to be, I assume.
If you're interested, Fell's Point has a website (and it's not purely about bars!) at http://www.fellspoint.us/ It's worth looking around the site-- they have some interesting videos on the architecture, and some really good stuff on the history of the area. Needless to say, I'm going to have to take another trip there on my own, so I can take my time with the place... and hopefully cover more than just one house.
Until next time, my love to all!
Tasha
Always good to learn something new ;)
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