Existing comment:
Ann Bond Fell (1740-1786), c. 1764, attributed to John Hesselius (1728/29-1778).
Recognizing he importance of a deep-water port to the shipping trades, Ann's husband, Edward, obtained land east of Baltimore's present inner harbor in the 1760s. With her husband's death the task of developing the land fell to Ann. She so adeptly marketed the land with no-down-payment financing that the settlement known as Fells Point quickly rivaled the population of nearby Baltimore Town. Such an accomplishment was unusual for a woman of this period.
The Maryland Historical Society recently opened a museum in Fells Point to recognize the Fells' role in the maritime history of the Point. |