Baltimore Heritage

From its beginning, Fell’s Point has been a melting pot. In the years before the Civil War, enslaved African Americans (skilled and unskilled) lived and worked alongside free blacks, whites, and immigrants from around the globe. The bustling waterfront community launched the successful business careers of many African Americans, including merchant and national labor movement leader Isaac Myers who helped launch the Chesapeake Marine Railway and Dry Dock Company. Fell’s Point was also a key stop to freedom, most notably for Frederick Douglass, who later returned to build affordable houses for former slaves after the Civil War and became a business partner with Myers in the dry dock company. Join historian Louis Fields on a walking tour highlighting African American heritage in Fell’s Point. Mr. Fields has uncovered Underground Railroad sites throughout Maryland, and was the driving force behind the plaques that were erected in Fell’s Point to Frederick Douglass as well as the creation of Maryland’s Harriet Tubman Day. Mr. Fields is a font of information and the tour promises to uncover another layer of the rich history this Baltimore seaport community.