Joppa in Hallowell was the poorer section of the city and included riverside commercial establishments and residences. Joppa extends from Temple Street in the north to Vaughan Stream in the south. This photograph was taken in the northern part of Joppa. There was a similar section called Joppa on the banks of the Penobscot River in Bangor. No one is sure why the two areas were named Joppa but both were poor sections of town.

Some of the buildings were moved off their foundations during the March 1896 Kennebec River flood, and relocated across the street, while others floated down the river. Note there is a man paddling a boat just to the left of the center of the photograph.