BNHA Ann Fell House
Interpretive Framework
Seeking Prosperity on the Chesapeake: Baltimore History from Colonial Times through the 1800s
Star Attractions
Historic Fell’s Point Trail
Resource Type
Points of Interest
1600 Shakespeare St
Baltimore, Maryland 21231
Built between 1765 and 1770, this small, well-proportioned house is believed to be one of the earliest buildings in Fell’s Point and has been noted by the National Trust for Historic Preservation as one of the three most significant properties in the neighborhood. The home’s original cooking fireplace and bread ovens remain intact.
Originally constructed as a freestanding house, it was sold to John Smyth by Ann Bond Fell, wife of Colonel Edward Fell. A shrewd businesswoman, she placed an ad in the Maryland Gazette, demanding payment from those who had purchased lots in Fell’s Point and were in arrears. The ad also defended the area from rumors that the land titles were questionable, the water was bad, and that Fell’s Point was an unhealthy place to live.
Many of the houses on Shakespeare and Lancaster streets were homes of artisans and ship captains of the 18th and 19th centuries. These were among the first properties restored in Fell’s Point after plans for the cross-town expressway were abandoned.
Site summary courtesy of the Preservation Society of Federal Hill and Fell’s Point