The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-05-25
STUDIES IN VERMONT NAMES
Odd Nomenclature of Towns, Hamlets
Etc, and Its Derivation or Origin.


Etc, and Its Derivation or origin.
Some time ago The Bennington
Banner asked The Messenger to ex-
plain the derivation or origin of such
Vermont names as Ticklenaked. Sad
awga, Algiers, Cuttybump, Goose City,
Mount Hunger, Tlce, Nulhegan, Wick
opee Hill Ritterbush, Duffy Hollow,
Getsbane.
The Messenger passed the query on
to the public Now comes The Brattle-
boro Reformer vita the three inter
esting and informing contributions
to the historical lore of the state that
follows
The Messenger will be glad to print
from any reliable source contributions
on the origin and meaning of any of
these or any other Vermont names.
How Wickpee Hill Got Its Name
I'm state paper recently was the
inquiry as to where Wickopee hill got
it's name. This PERCEPTIONS thorough
fare, which extends from tne oliver
Carpenter place in district 10 brat
tleborol about mile to the George
Bennett farm now occupied by S. War
ner Miller, is named after small
branching shrub which formerly grew
in profusion in that section. Dirca
palustria is the cognOmen which the
botanists give the bush, but it is COM
monty known as wicopy, leather
wood, and moose-wood. 1t has soft
waite wood and a tough leathery bark
which the Indians and the early set
tiers used for bag Irvine"
How Goose City Got Its Name.
Goose City, about which a contem-
porary made inquiry not long ago, is
the name given to school-house and
group of dwellings about mile above
East Dover on a stream known as
Rock river. Congressman Haskins
was reared in the vicinity of this
place and the name was in use when
he was a small boy. Years ago the
residents of that section used to raise
large number of geese Tradition
mas it that some visitors, stopping at
the group of dwellings, at time when
the human inhabitants were all away,
were impressed by the numbers of
geese apparently in sole possession of
the property and called the place
Goose City"
How Algiers Got Its Name.
"A request by The Bennington Ban
ner for the derivation of several Yer
mont names leads a correspondent of
The Reformer to send us the follow
ing interesting story OF how the vii
lage of Algiers secured the title by
which it has been known for more
than a century:
The village of East Guilford. just
south of the village limits of Brattle-
boro, and a short three miles from
Main St, has been called ''Algiers
for a hundred years or more. This
ancient African appelation never
really belonged to the place, which
was officially known as Guilford until
| the post-ofiice there was abolished
waen the rural free delivery service
was established in 1899.
There is an old tradition among
the townspeople, relative to the origin
of the title "Algiers," which runs as
| follows: The early settlement of Gull
! ford was much more rapid than that
of Brattleboro, and for nearly quar-
ter of century Guilford was the most
populous town in the state. Men oil
many occupations and professions 10
Gated INTERPRETATIONS, lawyers
clergymen. mechanics, artisans, and
undoubtedly those of other vocations
more or less praiseworthy.
1T is related that parties from
these adjoining villages of Guilford
and Brattleboro often visited each
other for the purpose of a social even
ing at 'old Sledge'', or Seven up, oil
other kindred amusements, and that
one winter after somewhat protract
ed interchange of visits, II appeared
that the Guilford men had succeeded
in taking unto themselves by far the
greater portion of the stakes, which
were not inconsiderable, so great haC
| been the interest in these frequent en-
counters. The Brattleboro men there
upon held a conference, and decided
to send strong delegation of theil
most expert gamesters, equipped with
all the available funds remaining il
their control, to recoup their waninl
fortunes, and incidentally to admins
ter a severe castigation to the unruly
Guilfordites. BY some unforeseen mis-
fortune the principal part of the plaI
miscarried, and the visitors returned
to their home-minus their money
When Intercepted by their Brattle
boro friends as to the result of tn,
expedition they reported that tn,
Guilford men were "a gang of Alger
ines and pirates"
The war with Algiers" was tn,
subject of jest and deep chagrin, TO
many years, but the vanquished ha,
their revenge in fastening upon tn,
village of East Guilford the name o
Algiers, which after a hundred year
bids fair to remain to the end o
time"