Historic Hallowell

South on Water Street between the business section and Loudon Hill is a part of the city known as Joppy or Joppa. The origin of this name is not known to present day historians but an interesting story has been told regarding it. As the story has been handed down, there was a tavern in the lower end of the city which was very popular with the sailors who came in on ships from foreign ports. One night sailors from Joppa, near Jerusalem, where involved in a riot in the vicinity and they ran through the streets yelling, "Joppa! Joppa!" to call the crew back to the ship.

The tavern no longer exists and many of the houses have been razed in the past ten years, but the name clings to the section and probably will for years to come. From article titled "Story Linked to Naming of Joppa", Kennebec Journal July 27, 1962.