What was Philadelphia like in 1793?

The city of
Philadelphia was a thriving place during the time that Mattie lived there in
. From 1790 to 1800, it was serving as the temporary capital of the young
United States while the District of Columbia was being built. This made it a vibrant place, as
representatives from all 13 states could be found in the city handling the business of
government.

For generations, Philadelphia was a thriving port along the
Delaware River. This brought in a lot of trade, production, and financial businesses. As a
result, a lot of money and wealth was to be found in the city. Large brick and timber buildings
housing these businesses could be found downtown and near the docks along the river. Just
outside the city were many manor-style houses belonging to the wealthy as well as small farms.
In the city, you could find people from all over the country and beyond.

Unfortunately, all these temporary visitors likely contributed to the spread of the
fever. About two thousand refugees from Haiti had recently arrived in the city and likely
inadvertently brought yellow fever with them. As described in the book, this disease decimated
the city and severely set its economic and political dominance back.