Following a newfound habit of spotting towns with unusual names, some were noted from a recent trip to our son's place in Tennessee. Our route took us to southern Indiana and then on to TN. Enroute, a couple of names found their way into my camera's memory card...
No, it isn't an antacid
The following info came from the town's website:
On what was once a large farm, Gassaway, WV, the “little city built upon a West Virginia Hill”, was incorporated in 1905. The town was named in honor of the former United States Senator and one time vice-presidential candidate, Henry Gassaway Davis,
The town grew quickly due to the newly formed Coal & Coke Railroad. Located in the center of the state, Gassaway was midway between the two terminal points of Elkins and Charleston. Gassaway housed the railroad’s shops which employed many of the town folk. Known as the travelers place to stop, the Gassaway Hotel was a favorite. A once booming railroad town with a depot, two hotels, a bank, schools, churches, shops, armory, and hospital, Gassaway is still a town rich in tradition and history.
Disclaimer: as of the 2010 Census, population was listed as 908...and sadly, we didn't actually leave the interstate to drive through town.
Once we headed south, we came across the town of Santa Claus, IN. This is one which both my wife and I recall hearing about previously. And here we were, with a chance to visit. How could we pass up that opportunity?
From Wikipedia: The town was established in 1854 and known as Santa Fe (pronounced "fee"). In 1856, when the town was working to establish a post office, the United States Postal Service refused their first application as there was already a Santa Fe established with the USPS. Several town meetings were held, during which the name Santa Claus was selected. It has the world's only post office to bear the name of Santa Claus. Because of this popular name, the post office receives thousands of letters to Santa from all over the world each year.
With residential and civic development, including a holiday-themed amusement park (open all year) the size of the town has been increasing, from about 931 in 1980 to about 2479 in 2015.
When driving on trips out of your area, you never know what you'll find...
Stay tuned,
Mandy
Good spots. When I am on the road I often like to find the odd name of a town or road. Tomorrow I head out to meet someone on Fisher Island. It is an island in the northern part of the Long Island Sound. I do not know if it was named after someone named Fisher or after the activity of fishing.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a fun day...even if it is for work! Maybe you'll find out where the name originated...
DeleteMandy
You should come to Britain. It's full of towns with weird names! Sue x
ReplyDeleteI visited the UK two separate times, in the early 80's. Took the train to a number of places and had a fabulous time. Beautiful towns (indeed some with weird names), lovely scenery, and a lot of history.
DeleteAnyone who has the opportunity to visit, should just do it. I'd love to get back again...but it probably won't happen in this lifetime.
Mandy
What a fun trip to see what you come across!
ReplyDeleteI spent some time in Alaska, and they have some funny street names. There are a lot of little villages without any real government of any kind, so people make up whatever they want.
Yes, the trip was fun...and so are some of the names. There are more examples, to appear later.
DeleteBut some other states may have intriguing names, too. Maybe someday I'll visit them, as well!
Mandy