Strange Origins of Pennsylvania Place Names, Part 2

 

In December, I published a post on some of the more interesting stories behind the names of Pennsylvania places. Here are a few more fascinating origin stories I've stumbled across since then.

Brogue (York County). According to George Reeser Prowell's History of York County (1907) a hotel stood at the intersection of five roads in Chanceford Township during the Colonial Era. One day, a traveling salesman lodging at the hotel decided to nail one of his worn-out shoes (a brogue) to a signpost at the intersection, where it remained for several days. A short time later Andrew Findley (son of Revolutionary War major John Findley) established a tavern at the intersection, which he named "The Brogue" in honor of the peculiar incident. As the town grew, it was officially named Brogueville, which was later shortened.

Burnt House Hill Road (Bucks County). This name of this road between Danboro and Buckingham memorializes the "Great Storm of 1892", in which dozens of homes, barns and other buildings were burned down in southeastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey as a result of lightning strikes. But this particular stretch of Bucks County was hit particularly hard by the storm, with five barns and farmhouses destroyed by fire.

Clamtown (Schuylkill County). Originally named Centerville, this village got its name because of the freshwater mussels found in the stream that runs through town. 

Devil Alex Hollow (Franklin County). This ravine, located in Greene Township about two miles east of Scotland, is named for Captain Alexander Culbertson, who lived near the spot during the Colonial Era. A native of Ireland, Culbertson was a big man with an even bigger temper and nothing made him happier than a brawl. According to legend, whenever he had trouble sleeping, he would go out on his horse in the middle of the night and ride for miles looking for a good fight. After McCord's Fort was attacked by the Lenape in April of 1756, he gathered up fifty men and went off in pursuit of the enemy, which they encountered at Sideling Hill. During the ensuing battle, Culbertson, along with twenty of his men, were killed, while eleven others were wounded. 

Hosensack (Lehigh County). Translated from German, the name of this tiny community in Lower Milford Township, literally means "trouser bag"-- and there's a perfectly good reason for that. Situated in a lonesome spot on the old King's Highway, German travelers would remark that the stretch of road in the vicinity was as dark as a pants pocket. Or, alternatively, that the town was so small that it could fit inside one's trouser pocket.

Korn Krest (Luzerne County). In 2015, the Wilkes-Barre Citizen's Voice attempted to solve the mystery of this peculiar place name but came up empty-handed, finally deciding that, at some early date, someone probably planted corn on the crest of the hill. In reality, the origins of Korn Krest are not as old as one might think. Korn-Krest (as it was spelled at the time) was a planned community laid out in 1909 by businessmen Herman Phillips and Fred Korn (their office, incidentally, was inside the Weitzenkorn Building in Wilkes-Barre). In order to entice customers into purchasing one of their 250 hilltop lots, Korn and Phillips promised free stone-- enough to construct an entire house, according to Korn-Krest promotional materials-- to anyone purchasing a lot. To sweeten the deal, they also promoted a "never-failing spring of crystal spring water" within the development. 

1909 ad for lots at Korn Krest

 

Leather Corner Post (Lehigh County). This region of Lowhill Township between Fogelsville and Schnecksville is named in honor of a Colonial Era tavern owned by Ludwig Smith, who decided to prevent horses from gnawing at his hitching post by covering it in leather.

Seven Valleys (York County). The name of this community sounds like it was named as a reflection of the local terrain. In actuality, it's name comes from a botched translation of the German language. The town was settled by German Seventh-day Adventists, or Sieben Tagers in German. Somewhere along the way, the words tag ("day") and thal ("valley") got mixed up, with York County residents mistakenly began calling the place Sieben Thal. At least that's the explanation provided by Russell Holmes, a former president of the borough council.

Thompson Township (Susquehanna Township). If locals were to tell you that this township is named for Susquehanna County Judge William Thompson, they are only partially correct. Why? Because William never used the letter P when writing or spelling his name. His correct name was William Thomson, making Thompson Township one of a handful of places in Pennsylvania whose name exists as a typo. Another example of this is Hazleton in Luzerne County, which Indians referred to as "hazel swamp" in olden times.

Whitehall Township (Lehigh County). According to local legend, the name of this township originated from a hunting lodge built by Lynford Lardner, which was painted white. Although Lardner called his lodge Grouse Hall, locals took to calling it White Hall.

Wild Boy Run (Potter County). This tributary of the East Branch Sinnemahoning Creek was named after Lewis Stevens, a hermit who built a cabin near this spot in 1842. Upon encountering other people, the ragged and unkempt Stevens would flee into the woods like a frightened turkey. As more settlers moved into the area, Stevens became known simply as the "Wild Boy". Stevens, who was born in New Jersey in 1825, ran away from home at the age of eleven, and eventually found his way to Potter County, living for a year with a German family before striking out on his own. During the Civil War, he enlisted with the 46th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers but, being the sensitive nature-loving type, soon realized that he wasn't cut out for the life of a soldier; he deserted and made his way to Illinois, where he built a hut alongside the Kankakee River. He returned to Pennsylvania in the 1870s only to find his old cabin in a state of disrepair. In 1886 he relocated to Shinglehouse, where he remained until his death in 1900.