Franklin wondered if Whitefield could be heard by 25,000 people
No longer extant, the Old Courthouse stood in the middle of the street with its front facade facing east toward the river. As the city’s civic center in 1739, it was the natural public place for Whitefiled to preach out of doors. From its steps, the revivalist spoke multiple times to crowds increasing from 6,000 to 15,000 people. Here Benjamin Franklin famously calculated how many people could hear Whitefield. His conclusion was 30,000.
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