Plans for a market near the junction of Baltimore and Harrison streets were already being considered well in advance of the general assembly's passage of the act authorizing its construction in November 1784.   As early as 1763 there was an agreement between the town commissioners and Thomas Harrison to use a portion of his property for just such a purpose.   Originally it was thought that Harrison's "marsh land" that comprised this property could be excavated and a canal created that would lead directly to the water front. (3)   For whatever reason, this plan was scraped and Harrison's "marsh" was dredged.   Although the market would be named Center Market, it would be popularly referred to as "Marsh Market". (4)

The map above shows the location of Center Market running north and south from Baltimore Street to Pratt.   This map is an approximation of the area during the 1850s.   The Fish Market and Horse Market were adjacent to the Center Market.   Warner & Hanna's 1801 map shows the Fish Market running east from Center Market to Jones Falls.   The Horse Market was in this same general area, most likely just north of the Fish Market.   The approximate location of the Fish and Horse markets appear on the map above as F and H, respectively.

As with most large cities, the names and locations of Baltimore streets have varied over the years, much to the confusion of later generation genealogists.   During the early 1800s some segments of Lombard were called Water Street;   during the late eighteenth century, Baltimore Street was also called Market Street;   and, as the Cumberland Row name disappeared early in the 1800s, the Second Street name disappears in the twentieth century, as that portion of road becomes an extension of Water Street.