The Wall Of Wall Street

Source

"Today this name is synonymous with that of speculation and great financial transactions. It is one of the famous streets of the world, but its name has no relation to the business carried on in it. In 1653, during the reign of Stuyvesant, when the Dutch were afraid of an attack from the north, either by the Indians or by the English from the New England colonies, a wall was built across the island to the north of the city. It passed through what is now Wall street, thence to the Hudson River through the place where Trinity church now stands."