And Your Street's Name Is ... ?
This has been mentioned here before, but for those who tuned in late, Franklin Street is named for John Franklin, former governor of Our Fair State. Ben, take a walk.
Up in the Heights section (do I need to say “up,” when speaking of the Heights?) we have a number of streets named for Civil War generals, Presidents and other notables. Lincoln, Hancock, Hayes, Grant, Sherman, Meade, Custer (how’d HE make the cut?), Pershing, Sheridan and Hamilton.
Across the river, in Kingston and its suburbs, many of the streets are named for local founders in the Valley. I’m not familiar with all of them, but in the newspaper’s “Somewhere In Time” column, they keep popping up. All dressed in the manner of the wealthy of the day; no paupers in the bunch.
Back home, we had a bunch of “tree” streets, all in a row: Spruce, Laurel, Cherry, Birch, Pine, Walnut, Cedar and Hemlock. At the very end was Grove Street.
I used to live on Blackburn Circle. Mail came addressed to Blackman, Blackbum, Black(this) and Black(that). Even though we typed our address, people just couldn’t get it right. Sheesh, people couldn’t get my own name right; six letters, at least one would be wrong – a friend still only gets four correct out of six.
The Association for the Blind gets mail to “Ass. For Blind” all the time.
Up in the Heights section (do I need to say “up,” when speaking of the Heights?) we have a number of streets named for Civil War generals, Presidents and other notables. Lincoln, Hancock, Hayes, Grant, Sherman, Meade, Custer (how’d HE make the cut?), Pershing, Sheridan and Hamilton.
Across the river, in Kingston and its suburbs, many of the streets are named for local founders in the Valley. I’m not familiar with all of them, but in the newspaper’s “Somewhere In Time” column, they keep popping up. All dressed in the manner of the wealthy of the day; no paupers in the bunch.
Back home, we had a bunch of “tree” streets, all in a row: Spruce, Laurel, Cherry, Birch, Pine, Walnut, Cedar and Hemlock. At the very end was Grove Street.
I used to live on Blackburn Circle. Mail came addressed to Blackman, Blackbum, Black(this) and Black(that). Even though we typed our address, people just couldn’t get it right. Sheesh, people couldn’t get my own name right; six letters, at least one would be wrong – a friend still only gets four correct out of six.
The Association for the Blind gets mail to “Ass. For Blind” all the time.
posted by Tom Carten at 10:13 AM
4 Comments:
Do you know the story of Blackburn?
Ms. Victoria Lawn
Sea-going, I think; maybe a pirate. Arrrrr.
N-o-o-o.a fisherman qot got lost in the winter from the mother ship in his dory. Cold set in and he folded his fingers and hands over the oars and they froze there allowing him to row. Eventually he was found and for many years he owned or worked in a tavern,in Gloucester, somewhat amputated. Howard Blackburn was his name I believe.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Blackburn.
Ms. Victoria Lawn
I forgot all about that, and I lived there ... forty years ago.
Been that long??
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