Question on USGS map place names

[deepskyal]

I was studying one of the old USGS maps the other night and began to wonder how they got the names for every little hill or knoll back in the early days.

I understand some such as Ayre's Hill, named for the family that lived there or Old Mill Run named from the historic mill that was there...

But some places clear into the boonies have names and what surprised me from a 1938 map was a hill with a racial slur...N**** Hill. Saying I was shocked to see it would be an understatement.

I know racism was bad so in itself that didn't surprise me...but a government map? And exactly who told the surveyor that was the name of the hill or did he make it up?

I don't know at what point that was deleted from maps but it's not in the current ones, as were a lot of the oddball mountain knob names.

Al

 

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[spartacus53]

I would guess that some names just run their course and are eventually renamed. We do the same thing for schools and streets in every city. Just think, in 50 years you won't be able to find anything, or your way home without a really updated GPS system

 

[Terry Soloman]

I was studying one of the old USGS maps the other night and began to wonder how they got the names for every little hill or knoll back in the early days.

I understand some such as Ayre's Hill, named for the family that lived there or Old Mill Run named from the historic mill that was there...

But some places clear into the boonies have names and what surprised me from a 1938 map was a hill with a racial slur...N**** Hill. Saying I was shocked to see it would be an understatement.

I know racism was bad so in itself that didn't surprise me...but a government map? And exactly who told the surveyor that was the name of the hill or did he make it up?

I don't know at what point that was deleted from maps but it's not in the current ones, as were a lot of the oddball mountain knob names.

Al

A lot of black settlements were referred to this way. As a young boy (1964), we had relatives in Prattville, Alabama, that we visited. As an adventure, my cousin took me up "N*GG*R Hill," to the little village, which of course was made up of poor blacks. You will find the same thing on old west maps - "Indian Hill," "Red Hill," "Heathen Hill," the list goes on.

 

[Mackaydon]

"Political correctness" at work; sometimes in the right way.

 

[calisdad]

I really don't think it was such a slur then or should be one now. Obviously was a variation of Nigeria. So what? Its just a word. If someone calls me a whitey, honkey or cracker am I offended? Not in the least. If they are indeed changing names I wish they would stop.

jmho

 

[Kentucky Kache]

I would guess that some names just run their course and are eventually renamed. We do the same thing for schools and streets in every city. Just think, in 50 years you won't be able to find anything, or your way home without a really updated GPS system

And the fact that I'll be 99 years old won't help, either.

 

[menotomymaps]

You see a lot of that on old maps up here in Massachusetts.
A place on today's maps called "Heath Hen Meadow" is "Heathen Meadow" on old maps, and old diaries refer to it as the place where the local Indians still lived.
Same with Pegan Hill .vs. Pagan Hill.
And many other examples.

 

[CWnut]

and the names will change over time. i have an old map with a "haunted" hollow on it. later maps refer to it as Walden hollow

 

[calisdad]

You know a school recently had the text in "Huck Finn" changed to eliminate a WORD and replace it with another. That's just not right.