Front Street was the original business section of Melbourne. It came into existence in the 1880's as dry goods stores, grocery stores, a fish house boat building and the post office were located along the waterfront.
In 1894, Melbourne's second newspaper, The Melbourne Times, was founded in a building on Front Street. The population of the town at the time was 157.
The Riverside Hotel was on the east side of Front Street. A city dock extended 1,400 feet into the river and steamboats stopped here. The southern end of Front Street was originally called Hatterman's point, then Stewart's point, and later Vorkeller's point.
Fire destroyed all of the commercial buildings along front street in 1919 because the fire engine became bogged down in sand and never made it to the fire. A citizens' bucket brigade was unable to cope with the blaze.
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