Possum Grape to Booger Hollow: ‘Naming Arkansas’ book explains how Natural State towns got their unique names
MONTICELLO, Ark. – Greasy Corner, Sock City, Oil Trough – the curious names of Arkansas places all have an origin, but not every story is known.
The new book “Naming Arkansas” hopes to tell the stores of how these places got their names. There are at least 6,500 names for Arkansas places according to author Dan Boice, and because of the publisher’s page limit, unknown history or self-explanatory names, about 900 stories are included in his book.
The explanations will make many readers laugh, raise an eyebrow and learn more about the Arkansans who settled in this state.
On every page of “Naming Arkansas” is eight years of Boice’s curiosity. His book published this February divides names by eight origins like significant people, businesses, ethnicity, or religion.
When the librarian relocated from the East Coast, he wanted to avoid embarrassing himself by mispronouncing town names. His pronunciation guide quickly grew, though, because of the fun facts or theories he learned along the way about how towns from Possum Grape to Snowball got their names.
“It’s just too good a story to let slip away,” Boice said. “There’s a whole bunch of towns that just have no obvious reasons for how it got that way. Those are what I call the curious and curiouser ones.”
In the case of many of those more peculiar names, the University of Arkansas Monticello library director had to look past online or archive research and instead sit down with people across the Natural State and ask around for the history behind the city limit signs.
Some of the unique monikers came out of conflict, like when two communities did not know the rules when they squared off to play baseball. It was the person who explained the game that went down in history.
“They were so happy with the teaching they got from the umpire that they named town Umpire,” Boice explained.
A community in Saline County was originally named Germania until it was changed in 1918 as America saw growing anti-German feelings. The area took on a new name, Vimy Ridge, inspired by a Canadian World War I battle victory, giving the community a wholly unique name in Arkansas.
There’s no volume two in the works, but Boice hopes to continue learning, which he says happens daily. For the librarian, learning the histories and sharing the stories has been a life’s work and brought a sense of joy.
“I’ve had just a wonderful time learning these histories and talking to folks, and my only regret is that I haven’t been able to get them all in here.”
For those interested in reading some of the name origins, the book can be purchased online.
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