Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1884-10-31
QUEERLY NAMED PLACES.
What is Shown in q POstal
Directory,
Odd Names that are Found in Various
Parts of the Country.

{
This great country has now over
10000 post0fices for its over 5O,OOo'-
900 people, or about one for each LOU
persons. There are some curious facts
connected with the administration OF
so large an institution as this. The
employees of the department number
over hundred thousand. OF course
the sum required to run so large an
establishment is something enormous.
The salaries of postmasters alone
amount to nearly $l0,000,000 and the
sum paid for transportation of mails
S25,0O0000 The number of postoffi-
ces is increasing steadily at the rate OF
over 1000 year. The task of the
fellow who fixes names for all these IS
a pretty serious one. OF course the
people of the section where the offices
are to be located are allowed to fix a
name so far as possible, but in many
cases they select a name already given
to some Office in the State, and of
course it cannot be used. Then they
are permitted to make some other Sc
lection, and so on almost indefinitely.
1t often happens, however, that the
postotlice officials are finally compelled
to select, or that in their despair, the
citizens who have the selecting of the
name, by having frequently chosen
some name already in use in the State,
jump at some ridiculous name alto
gether unheard of before, or select one
suggestea-by some peculiar surround
ings.
Some of the odd names are as fol
lows: Dismal, Thump Daybook, Bad
AK, Calico, Rocks, Windfall, Rara Avis,
Seven Stars, Leap Year, Hlphazard
Boy, Odd, Rawhide, Difficult, Baby
Mine, Bean Blossom, Yankee, Pay Up,
Hard Money Happy Home, Wide
Awake, Alligator, Needy, Moon, Pad
lock, Gnatville, Blowhorn, Lubbub,
Cloudland, Butterfly, lib, Quidnunc.
Rainbow, Scrub Ty Ty, Fucker, Bush.
Soonoyer, Bundle Bee, Zulu, Sopchop-
py, Zero, Jamboree, Marrowbone,
Slickaway, Negro Foot, Jump. You
Bet, Greenhorn, Tenderfoot, Sunshine,
Muck, Shoohy, Kumtax, Oil Trough.
Nine Times, Blowout, Gunpowder
Patagumpus, Last Chance, Clear Grit
Greasy, Talla- Ho, Mary Esther, Why
Not, Samper, Veto, Round Bottom,
King cf Russia, Gi, Joy, Hayfork,
Picnic, Land of Promise, SOU TX, Snail
lope, Mouse Tail, Pocket, Port Wine
Side View, Good Luck, Bug Hill
Due West, Fair Play, Coin, Coal, Fire,
Sodoin, Hurt, Sleepy Eye, Drone, Bird
Song, Black Bear, Pinafore, Butter
cup, Unique, Sunflower, Wormwood
The South and West have the much
greater number OF unique names, al
though many may be found in New
England and the Middle States. In
Texas is an Office named 81. Bob" the
familiar cognomen of citizen in the
community. Bald Hornet, an Office
in Tennessee, is the suggestive nick
name of a gentleman residing in the
county. Clicago's mayor, Hon, Car
ter Harrison, is honored in Kansas
with an Office called "Our Carter
'Best," Cloudy" "Cutlips," DUR
and "Toadrine" are other Offices bear
ing names of Individuals
Initial letters sometimes form the
name of an Office, like that of IT. b.,
in Maryland. When the first house in
the place was erected these initials
were found on a stone near by, and
were probably those of very early
settler AMI owner ooh. T., ;" in Colo
RADIO. is taken from brand used for
marking cattle, and 90 X, in South
Carolina, from the humorous sugges-
tions of an interested gentleman. The
people of Sugar Grove, in Tennessee
refused to suggest other names after
their own had been rejected, and the
department established the Office
under the initials "a. b. c." There IS
"Buss' in Michigan to match Sweet
Lips" in Tennessee, but there is a
"Maiden" in North Carolina, Bach
elor' in Mississippi, and widows
may be found in Alabama. There IS
Comfort in North Carolina and also
in Texas, and "Tribulation" in Ten
nessee. The tribulation was in select
ing name acceptable to the depart
ment, and they ended their tribulation
by making it "Tribulation, "Char-
ty" is found in North Carolina and
Tennessee, and "Hope" is also known,
as we'll as "Adversity" There are
"Wells" in several States, but only one
"Cistern" in Texas They have
Concert" in Iowa, and Louisiana
contributes a "Violin," Minnesota a
"Cornet, Iowa "Horn," Pennsylya-
MIA Drums" and Ohio and Virginia
"Fifes." There is a Ozark Corner IN |
Georgia, but Dawn" appears in Mich
igan and Ohio, followed by Day In
Michigan and New York.-St Lo"@
Post Dis
1t is a strange if not solemn
thought that the American OF the age
may, at any time, be laughing at Jokes
which can hardly have been tresh