What’s in a Name?

What started as a hobby, resulted in a book of Pennsylvania place names, written in 1925 by A. Howry Espenshade, a professor at what was then called Pennsylvania State College (Penn State University.) Espenshade, who was also a member of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, said he had no thoughts of writing a book but was collecting material dealing with the origin, historical setting, and meaning of Pennsylvania’s place names simply to gratify his hobby.

In researching his work, Espenshade learned that many others seemed to be interested in the subject and decided “that the general reader as well as the scholar may possibly find some instruction, entertainment, and profit in learning easily what the writer has found out only after long and patient research.”

For this post, I’ve chosen a wide variety of names that caught my attention, hoping the reader will learn something new concerning Susquehanna Valley place names. Since quite a number of the towns and villages were named by Native Americans, I’ll start there.

Catawissa, creek, township, and borough in Columbia County, is a corruption of gattawisi, "growing fat." Kishacoquillas, in Mifflin County: originally the name of a Shawnee Indian chief, signifying "the snakes have gone into their dens. " Loyalsock, creek, township, and village in Lycoming County: " middle creek”; that is a creek flowing between two others. Moshannon, creek and village in Centre County: from moos-hanne, "moose stream. Paxinos, in Northumberland County: the name of a Shawnee Indian chief who showed marked friendliness toward the white settlers in the French and Indian War. And one more; Tidioute, in Warren County: variously interpreted as "seeing far, " "straight water, " and "cluster of islands. "

Espenshade included a chapter on oddities in nomenclature bearing the name of abstract ideas. For instance, Endeavor, in Forest County, formerly known as Stowtown, took its name from the fact that Reverend J. V. McAnich organized a Christian Endeavor Society, which ripened into a Presbyterian church and gave its name to the village. Driftwood, the oldest settlement in Cameron County, was so called from Driftwood Creek, which received this name because of its constant accumulation of driftwood. Shinglehouse, in Potter County, derived its curious name from an old pioneer house clapboarded with shingles, which a Frenchman named Jaundrie built in 1806. Karthaus and Karthaus Township, in Clearfield County, derived their name from Peter A. Karthaus of Baltimore, who built an iron furnace there about 1820.

Mausdale, in Montour County, owes its name to Phillip Maus, who while living in southeastern Pennsylvania, supplied materials for Revolutionary War soldiers, and later settled in Montour (Northumberland County at that time.) The village and the township of Roulette, in Potter County, were named for the Frenchman Jean Roulette, who was interested in the Ceres Land Company, of which John Keating was manager.

Burnt Cabins, in Fulton County, obtained its curious name from the fact that the first settlement, consisting of squatters' cabins, was burnt by order of the colonial government.

Many towns and counties in Pennsylvania are named for notable citizens. Antes Fort in Lycoming County took its name from the famous stockade fort that Colonel John Henry Antes built in 1776.

Cornplanter, in Warren County, the site of the Cornplanter Indian Reservation, bears the nickname of Gar-gan-wah-gah, "the Cornplanter," a half-breed Seneca Indian chief and noted warrior, son of John O'Bail, an Indian trader.

 Covington in Tioga County, first settled by Aaron Bloss in 1801, was formally laid out by William Patten in 1822. Both the village and the township of Covington were named in honor of the great Indian fighter and comrade of Anthony Wayne, General Leonard Covington, for whom Covington in Kentucky was also christened.

 The village and the township of Bigler, in Clearfield County, were named for William Bigler, a citizen of this county, who served as governor of Pennsylvania from 1852 to 1855.

 Herndon, in Northumberland County, was named at the suggestion of the postal authorities in honor of Commander William Lewis Herndon of the United States Navy, who lost his life in the Gulf of Mexico on September 12, 1857, while heroically rescuing as many passengers as possible from his sinking steamer, the "Central America."

Philipsburg, in Centre County, was christened for its founders, Henry and James Philips, two Englishmen, who laid it out in 1797. Reynoldsville, in Jefferson County, was begun by Woodward Reynolds, who settled here with his bride in 1838. The present town, which was named for him, was laid out about 1861 by his sons, David and Albert Reynolds.

The list goes on and on. There are thousands of place names in the Keystone State (so named because it was the middle colony of the original thirteen colonies and because Pennsylvania has held a key position in the economic, social, and political development of the United States).

Now might be the time for readers to dig deeper into the meaning of the names of counties, towns, and villages in their areas. Who knows, it might become a hobby like it did for A. Howry Espenshade.

Credits: Pennsylvania Place Names by A. Howry Espenshade 1925

Photo: Pre-1923 postcard showing the Endeavor Presbyterian Church, Endeavor, Pennsylvania Wikimedia Commons Public Domain