# Wall Street In History

WALL STREET IN HISTORY.
BY
MRS. MARTHA J. LAMB,
AUTHOR OF "THE HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK," "HOMES OF AMERICA," ETC., ETC.
ILLUSTRATED.
NEW YORK
FUNK & WAGNALLS, PUBLISHERS,
10 and 12 Dey Street.
1883.
Copyright, 1883,
By MARTHA J. LAMB.
BURR PRINTING HOUSE, NEW YORK
PREFATORY NOTE
The papers which form this volume, were written by request for the May, June and July numbers of the Magazine of American History of the current year. The purpose in their production was to give the busy reading public a concise, authoritative, and informing account of the rise and development of Wall Street. No similar sketch having ever appeared in print—touching in historic continuity the salient features of the famous locality, from its first brush-fence to its present gold vaults—the whole field of inquiry must necessarily be explored for the material, which was finally gathered from an almost infinite variety of fragmentary and original sources. The wealth thus exhumed, in the way of fact and incident, would have filled many volumes. But for the general convenience, and in order to meet the popular demand for much in a small compass, the labor of condensation has been cheerfully performed, that the many-sided subject, in all its primitive, picturesque, political, social, and monetary aspects, may be presented in one brief, comprehensive and rapid survey.
The first chapter covers the century of settlement and savage warfare—inclusive of the period when New York for nearly fifty years was actually a walled city. The second chapter is devoted to the vicissitudes of Wall Street in the exciting times of the Revolution, and to its history as the seat of fashion, aristocracy, and the State Government, and also as the seat of the National Government for six eventful years, with President Washington a familiar figure, in his chariot drawn by six horses. The third chapter treats of the financial institutions which have made the street famous throughout the civilized world. Many items of interest and figures never before grouped together will be observed—notably the ​names of the Collectors of the Port, heretofore to be found only in the New York Civil List (a work not accessible to the many), also the names of the Assistant-Treasurers of the United States who have presided over the Sub-treasury in Wall Street.
The illustrations have been made expressly for this publication, from the most elaborate studies among the records and from various authentic and original maps and prints. Many of the portraits were never before engraved. The table of contents will furnish a ready clue to the numerous topics treated. Statements of every character, whether historical, statistical, or financial, have been carefully verified in order that this work may be not only a well-spring of entertainment to the reader, but of permanent interest and value as a hand-book of reference.
Martha J. Lamb.
New York City, October 25, 1883.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE.
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE.
Portrait of John Jay, from an Engraving by Durand.Frontispiece.
John Jay
This work was published before January 1, 1929, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.
Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse

## Contents

* Wall Street In History/Chapter 1
* Wall Street In History/Chapter 2
* Wall Street In History/Chapter 3