Baltimores historic Federal Hill district thrives as one of the citys most active and resilient communities. In 1789, city residents gathered at Federal Hill Park to celebrate the ratification of the US Constitution. Later, the park would be occupied by Union soldiers during the Civil War. For decades, bustling shipyards ringed the harbor around Federal Hill. But in the 1960s, parts of the neighborhood, including the park itself, were targeted for destruction to make way for an interstate highway. Fortunately that plan was ...
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Baltimores historic Federal Hill district thrives as one of the citys most active and resilient communities. In 1789, city residents gathered at Federal Hill Park to celebrate the ratification of the US Constitution. Later, the park would be occupied by Union soldiers during the Civil War. For decades, bustling shipyards ringed the harbor around Federal Hill. But in the 1960s, parts of the neighborhood, including the park itself, were targeted for destruction to make way for an interstate highway. Fortunately that plan was abandoned, and today, the National Historic Districts of Federal Hill, Federal Hill South, and Sharp Leadenhall"plus the adjoining neighborhood of Otterbein"are home to museums, restaurants, and breathtaking views of the Inner Harbor and skyline. Its quaint streets are lined with iconic Baltimore row houses from the 19th and early 20th centuries.
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Located just south of downtown Baltimore, Maryland along the Inner Harbor, Federal Hill has had a varied history since its urban beginnings in the late 18th Century. This 2011 book of photographs and text tells the story of Federal Hill from its early days to become a diverse, thriving American community, through its deterioration in the 1960's and early 1970's, to its subsequent revitalization. The book is part of the "Images of America" series of local histories which explores the vibrancy of American life and geography. The authors, William Clark and Maria Sosa, are a husband and wife team who bought a home in the community in 2007 and became fascinated with its history. They aptly describe Baltimore as a "tough but beautiful city" and describe the Federal Hill neighborhood with perception and eloquence.
"In an old city, it is among the oldest neighborhoods. For years, the area was simply known as South Baltimore. Yet, from its earliest days, it encompassed a surprising diversity of people, both ethnically and economically. There were shipbuilders and those who actually built the ships, freed slaves and former slaveholders, titans of industry and those who made their factories hum, influential politicians and those who voted them in or out, the big guys and the little guys, and the mighty and the meek, many living on the same block, on wide avenues and narrow alley streets."
In characteristic and well-reproduced photographs, Clark and Sosa show that Federal Hill deserves this description.
The book begins with the story of Federal Hill Park from Revolutionary and Civil War days but comes into its own with its depiction of depiction of street scenes, commercial activity, and industry which cover the grand years of the community from about 1885 -- 1960. Simply put, the book presents photos of city streets and the people and places that graced them. The neighborhood developed in a helter-skelter fashion at first, with row houses and businesses sharing space with each other and with facilities such as large gas storage tanks. The book presents busy streets, lined with houses, pedestrians, streetcars, and automobiles. The businesses include small mom and pop grocery stores, restaurants, ubiquitous bars, barbershops, bakeries and theaters. The larger businesses included furniture, department and jewelry stores, some of which still remain. The commercial centerpiece of the neighborhood was the historic Cress Street Market, which became a gathering place for the community as well as a place of trade and survived a disastrous fire to continue functioning today. The book shows busy, engaged diverse people in the midst of city life. The photos suggest something of a model of what an urban community might be.
Besides the local commerce, Federal Hill also was an industrial center which took full advantage of its waterfront location. Canning and shipbuilding thrived along the waterfront. Beginning in 1921, the plants of Bethlehem Steel Company dominated the area. The McCormick Spice Company also had a plant in Federal Hill for many years. The industries employed a large blue-collar work force and also allowed for many supportive businesses.
When the industries gradually left Federal Hill by about 1960, the neighborhood deteriorated. Then, the City condemned many homes to construct a freeway which was never built through the area. Some homes were demolished but most deteriorated until the establishment of a creative and successful urban renewal program in the 1970s. The book contrasts the dilapidated state of the community in the late 1960's with today's community, which differs greatly from the working-class neighborhood of the industrial years.
The authors present photos and stories of many long lasting community institutions, including churches with intriguing histories and names such as the "Saint Mary Star of the Sea" church and the "Sailors Union Church". The neighborhood is also home to two celebrated African American Churches, Ebenezer African Methodist Episcopal and Leadenhall Baptist. With its revitalization, the neighborhood has become home to several unusual museums that capture urban vitality, including the Baltimore Museum of Industry, the Maryland Science Center, and the American Visionary Art Museum.
"Federal Hill" is an inspiring book for readers interested in Baltimore. More broadly, it is a book that suggests the continued possibility of a vibrant American city life.
