Page:Life of Isaiah V Williamson.djvu/47

III

Early Years in Philadelphia

The year before Isaiah Williamson went to the city to stay, a quaint little volume was published, entitled "Philadelphia in 1824," whose title page proclaimed it to be "a complete guide to strangers." This book gave the population of the city proper as one hundred and twenty-one thousand, and stated that "the built up parts" stretched along the Delaware River three or four miles, and backed up toward the Schuylkill River to the extent of only about a mile, covered with unbroken buildings on both sides of the street. This central region had as its principal thoroughfare High Street, now Market Street, and was bounded by Callowhill Street on the north, and Lombard Street on the south. East and south of Independence Hall was the finest residential section. Center Square, now covered by the City Hall, was practically open country. The business center was only

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