Monday, March 16, 2015

A Most Peculiar Street Name

Sometimes people bestow names on children, pets, body parts, places, and even streets that make others wonder; or at least people with some mild degree of curiosity. I confess to wondering about Mars Hill, NC. Why did the original namer feel a need to commemorate a geographical feature on the red planet? It turns out that Mars Hill was one of those places where St. Paul dropped a sermon on an unsuspecting crowd, much like Mlle. The Prophetess does on innocent Orleanians. That kind of fits in with the local religion fervor that goes with a Christian university located there.

 But then looking a little further I find that the town also has a street named Ban the Blues Lane.

 https://www.google.com/maps/place/Ban+the+Blues+Ln,+Mars+Hill,+NC+28754/@35.8455384,-82.5183466,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x885a19cd5706f017:0x82e5c4a8d81a9a18

 Where did that come from? What is named by a blues music hater? Or one of those "Don't worry, be happy" types? Does someone hate the University of Toronto or Chelsea Football Club that much? Hardly likely in western North Carolina. My Google search failed to enlighten me.

 Do you have any ideas where this came from? Also, have you encountered any strange street names you would like to share?
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7 comments:

  1. TexWisGirlMarch 16, 2015 at 12:44 PM

    i kinda like 'ban the blues' from an uplifting viewpoint. :)

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  2. CloudiaMarch 16, 2015 at 12:49 PM

    We are 99% Hawaiian names. Visitors who don't know how to pronounce, are heard to say: "I know it was on a street with a "K") seems 50% begin with K!


    BTW - Angel, have you read my little Hawaii novel that appears atop my blog list over at my place?


    You are one of my FAVE bloggers, like top 10


    "Ban the blues"? Blue & Grey? Just saying....

    ALOHA from Honolulu
    ComfortSpiral
    =^..^=

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  3. The Bastard King of EnglandMarch 16, 2015 at 3:15 PM

    I think Cloudia may have figured it out.

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  4. MikeMarch 16, 2015 at 3:58 PM

    "Ban the Blues Lane" would not go over very well in the St. Louis area with the Blues hockey team located here.

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  5. Big Sky HeidiMarch 16, 2015 at 5:09 PM

    Probably some Cheerful Charlie named it. Are the people of Mars Hill called Martians?

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  6. CherdoMarch 17, 2015 at 8:20 PM

    I kid you not, there is a newer subdivision near us that has a street named Fragrant Cloud.

    My husband and son make "gas" jokes every time we are near there and even went as far as refusing to look at a house located there.

    Names matter!

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  7. eViL pOp TaRtMarch 18, 2015 at 9:20 PM

    Fragrant Cloud Lane is probably named after a variety of rose.

    ReplyDelete