As much as I like to drive my Fiat Spider through Virginia’s wine and hunt country, I thought it was time to get close to the water. This month’s day trip found me making the hour drive to Fell’s Point in Baltimore. It is an easy drive on the Baltimore and Washington Parkway and the road ends at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. Developed in the 70’s, the Inner harbor is the glitz of Baltimore… Fell’s Point is the soul. In his book, Walking in Baltimore: An Intimate Guide to the Old City, author Frank R. Shivers, Jr. writes, “Fell’s Point is the only area of the city where the beginnings of Baltimore can be felt.”
Over the years there has apparently been some controversy as to the spelling of Fell’s Point. Some thought an ‘s is appropriate whereas others thought it should be spelled Fells. I will side with Jack Trautwein, the Town Crier of Fell’s Point. In 2008, Jack issued a proclamation stating that the correct spelling of Fell’s Point should have the apostrophe s. Part of that reasoning is that in 1726, the Englishman William Fell bought a tract of land along the Patapsco River. He named his land “Fell’s Prospect.” With it’s deep-water port, docks, shipyards, warehouses and homes soon turned Fell’s Point into a bustling seaport that was the commercial heart of the city. The area became an important shipbuilding center during the Revolutionary War and produced the famous Baltimore Clipper, the fastest ship of its’ time.
Fell’s Point is also the start of the annual Great Chesapeake Schooner Race. The race is open to all schooner-rigged boats and ends up 127 nautical miles down the bay at Portsmith, Virginia. It is because of this race that I was first introduced to Fell’s Point 17 years ago. I crewed on the Patricia Divine, a 65-foot topsail gaffed rig steel schooner. We would arrive in Fell’s Point on Wednesday night and set sail the following day for Annapolis where the actual start took place. That Wednesday night was my introduction to the nightlife of Fell’s Point…and it does rock. We spent most of that night at the Cat’s Eye Pub. Great music, cold beer and some of the funkiest people you would ever want to meet. Every sailor loves a good bar, and this was it. When I was back last month, I was glad to see that nothing had changed.
On this recent trip to Fell’s Point I discovered the Waterfront Hotel Tavern. I had a great lunch and good conversation with Craig the bartender. Like myself, Craig played rugby, so the conversation was easy. He, like everyone else I met, certainly loves his town. Wide brick streets traverse the waterfront, old street car tracks lead to the street car museum, and as far as you can see… restaurants, bars, and boats…what a town! Although the restaurants and shops are scattered throughout Fell’s Point, the main drag is Thames Street and Broadway. Thames runs along the harbor and boasts not only the afore mentioned but also the Admiral Fell Inn (great place to stay overnight), Shucker’s Restaurant & Bar, Leadbetters Tavern, Duda’s Tavern, and what is billed as the oldest bar in America, The Horse You Came in On. The latter is even home to the Jack Daniels club. They keep your own bottle of Jack Daniels locked away on a shelf. There must have been close to 100 bottles on the shelf.
On Broadway you can find the famous Bertha’s Mussels. This restaurant is hugely popular with both locals and tourists. Also on Broadway is the Broadway Market, one of the oldest markets in America that has recently undergone renovation.
This is just a glimpse of Fell’s Point. Like Old Town Alexandria, it is a waterfront town with a lot going for it: shops, galleries, restaurants, museums, but most of all… a lot of history. Take a day trip to Fell’s Point… it is at the end of the Baltimore & Washington Parkway.
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