Taken as a unique image on glass, known as a daguerreotype, this is the earliest
photograph of Market Street.  This view was taken a few years after the railroad
entered the city, sparking a remarkable period of growth that lasted four decades.
The nation's first telegraph line passed through Wilmington in 1846.  The four-story
building in the middle of the image was built in 1785 and was known as the
Washington House when this photograph was taken.  Washington Jones, seen at
the center, was a dry good store and, next to it, Morrow's Grocery was in business
until the 1890s.