Unusual Place Names

[CzinZumerzet]

There is a Hell here in Somerset and Piddle Pool near Priddy, Cheddar, also near here. My brother lives near Curry in Mid Somerset but his village is Tintinhull, pronounced locally as Tintull. His village is on the edge of the Wetlands, known locally as the Badlands. My town is a legendary English joke as the UK Cellerites will attest. The town with one too many piers (peers) Weston-Super-Mare because jeffrey Archer is Lord Archer of WSM. Still.

[richlevy]

This weekend I drove past a new development of upscale houses ($800K+). That wasn't really unusual. What was unusual was the name of the development.

Announcing Slitting Mill, an enclave of four new homes nestled on generously sized 1 ½+ acre level homes sites in prestigious Edgmont Township, Delaware Co.

Slitting Mill? Does anyone do any kind of focus group testing. I mean, a lot rich people probably aren't afraid to get a little blood on their hands, but isn't this going a bit far?

I know in the U.K. there are some place names that reflect a bloody past, and even in the New England area of the U.S. you can find places like the Gibbet Hill Grill, but you would think that if there was an actual choice available, the developer would pick a different feature to highlight.

To be fair, the slitting that is referred to is a manufacturing term. Still, to me the name sounds like the title for a horror movie.

[xoxoxoBruce]

It's probably on Slitting Mill Road.

Slitting Mills were real important for making nails, so there were a lot of them, until nail making got more refined.

[Carruthers]

Originally Posted by richlevy

This weekend I drove past a new development of upscale houses ($800K+). That wasn't really unusual. What was unusual was the name of the development.

Slitting Mill? Does anyone do any kind of focus group testing. I mean, a lot rich people probably aren't afraid to get a little blood on their hands, but isn't this going a bit far?

I know in the U.K. there are some place names that reflect a bloody past, and even in the New England area of the U.S. you can find places like the Gibbet Hill Grill, but you would think that if there was an actual choice available, the developer would pick a different feature to highlight.

To be fair, the slitting that is referred to is a manufacturing term. Still, to me the name sounds like the title for a horror movie.

There's a hamlet by the name of Slitting Mill, in Staffordshire, England. It isn't a name/term I've ever encountered in any context but the Slitting Mill website sheds a little light on the name.

Slitting Mill Village

Slitting Mill is a hamlet of fewer than 400 people, about one and a quarter miles west of Rugeley on the very edge of Cannock Chase. The village has also been known as Rolling Mill, and Stonehouse.
The name of Slitting Mill is derived from the type of work carried out along the stream where mills would split (slit) wood and metal.

[glatt]

When I was a lad, I lived in the village of Merzhausen in Germany. Merzhausen and something like five other little villages were all nestled in this beautiful storybook valley on the edge of the Black Forest. The name of the valley? Hexental. (Witches' Valley.)

I wish I knew the story behind that name. It gets the imagination going. I mean, come on. Black Forest? Witches? Maybe the real Hansel and Gretel lived there?

The wikipedia article I linked to above says the name is derived from "Hagstal" or Hag valley. And Hag is a sort of protected clearing surrounded by brush or woods or even fences. So maybe it's a boring explanation, except the translated entry for "Hag" says:

The Hag also offered cemeteries protection from evil spirits, especially if it consists of yew or boxwood existed. Also, both in Central Europe, as well as Nordic and English sagas surprising passages in hedges as a transition into a fairyland or the underworld to find. So also derived Witch (OHG hecse, English:. hag, also mnl. Hagetisse), from the same root word from. As an alternative designation is found Fence Rider / in.

I used to work groves in a place called Ona FL.

[glatt]

How can I forget:

King of Prussia, Pennsylvania
and
Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania

[Urbane Guerrilla]

North Zulch, pronounced zoolch, central Texas. We turned off our road to investigate what kind of place rejoiced in such a name. It's a little bitty Texas town mostly hidden in the scrub oaks.

Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania. Pronounced exactly as you expect. Never been there. Met a guy in a bar who was from there -- he said it was in beautiful country, but there was no work to be had.

Boring, Maryland.

[Spexxvet]

Ohiopyle is where you can find Falling Water, the Frank Lloyd Wright designed house with the creek/river running through it.

How about Jersey Shore, PA, in north, central PA (nowhere near New Jersey or the ocean)?

In New Jersey, there's Buena, pronouncd Byoona, even though those same people pronounce Lancaster as Lannnn Caster.

[footfootfoot]

These aren't as outright amusing as many already posted, but I get a chuckle out of thinking about the combination of dearth of imagination and practicality in naming the following towns surrounding Westminster, VT:

Westminster West
East Westminster
Had the area grown much we can only imagine the permutations...

[Sundae]

When I lived in Quainton in Bucks, we had a matched set of villages close to us too:

Steeple Claydon
East Claydon
Middle Claydon
Botolph Clayden

Although I assume there was a historical reason for this (possibly landed gentry called Claydon) as opposed to a lack of imagination.

We also had a friend that lived in Marsh Gibbon, and although I don't remember any comment on that at the time, we did like Great Horwood (obviously something a lesser whore wouldn't)

[xoxoxoBruce]

Re Vermont, the Dummerstons......North, South, East, West and Center.

RE Alaska, Red Devil, North Pole and my favorite.....Unalaska.

Moose Factory in Canada is another.

[footfootfoot]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Re Vermont, the Dummerstons......North, South, East, West and Center.

RE Alaska, Red Devil, North Pole and my favorite.....Unalaska.

Moose Factory in Canada is another.

Used to live just down the 'pike form the dummerstons: Williamsville. aka Bill'sville.

Amazing swimming in those parts.

[JayMcGee]

and there really is an

Upper Wallop
Middle Wallop
and last but not least
Lower Wallop

[DanaC]

Upper Wallop
Middle Wallop
and last but not least
Lower Wallop

Isn't that where all the BDSM types hang out?:P