I’ve worked some really neat places lately. For example, just a half hour ago, I worked a station in Greenbackville, VA. With a name like that, there must be an interesting story behind it.
Also in Virginia, I recently worked a station in Spotsylvania. The first thing that came into my mind was the mythical country in the Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoons. As it turns out, that country is Pottsylvania. Spotsylvania was the site of a famous Civil War battle.
Earlier in the week, I worked the Yukon–Yukon, OK, that is. When I told the op there, Will, that it was the first time that I’ve worked the Yukon, he said he gets that all the time.
Right after working the Yukon, I worked a station in Monk’s Corner, SC. Can’t you just picture a monastery among rolling hills with guys in long robes, making cheese or wine or something?
On January 3, I worked a group of stations in towns with people’s first names. In order, they were: Beverly, MA; Gary, IN; Roscoe, IL; and Tom’s River, NJ.
I think it’s fun to do Google searches and find out a little bit about the towns, if at all possible. For example, doing a Google search on “Spotsylvania” turns up a lot of information on the Civil War battle there. And a Google search for “Monk’s Corner” tells me that there actually is a monastery there.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find anything on Greenbackville, VA. Despite the colorful name, it would appear that nothing of note happened there.
More Cool Town Names, Jan. 25, 2003
Today, I worked stations in Melissa, TX and Cowpens, SC. According to the Online Handbook of Texas, “The town was laid out in 1872, when the Houston and Texas Central Railway reached the area. The settlement was probably named either for the daughter of George A. Quinlan, an official of the railroad, or for the daughter of C. P. Huntington, a prominent railroad executive.”
I wasn’t able to find out much about how Cowpens, SC got its name, but it’s probably self-explanatory. Every June, they hold the Mighty Moo Festival, in honor of the crewmen who served aboard the USS Cowpens aircraft carrier in WWII.
Cowpens was also the site of a famous Revolutionary War battle. According to the National Park Service, “The battle at the “Cow Pens” is recognized by historians as one of the most important of the American Revolution. On January 17, 1781, Daniel Morgan led his army of tough Continentals, militia and cavalry to a brilliant victory over Banastre Tarleton’s force of British regulars. It helped turn the tide of war in the Southern Campaign of the American Revolution.
“Coming on the heels of a patriot victory at nearby Kings Mountain on October 7, 1780, it was the second successive staggering defeat for British forces under General Charles Cornwallis. Only nine months after the Battle of Cowpens, Cornwallis was forced to surrender his army to General George Washington at Yorktown, Virginia in October 1781.”
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