He's on vacation this week. Otherwise, you can be sure Eric Ferreri would post here about his interesting and entertaining story on street names that appears in today's N&O.
So please take this opportunity to tell us about street names in Durham that strike your fancy. Have you ever noticed the little slice of Greece right off N.C. 55? Athens Avenue is right next to Crete Drive. I've also always been tickled by Riddle Road.
As noted in this 2005 column by Durham historian (and Durham News columnist) Jim Wise, some folks even use street names to send a little message — as in Trinity Park, when Brodie Leonidas Duke, son of Washington Duke, named what is now known as Gregson Street "Hated" to take a stab at rival George Washington Watts.
Reading street maps from east to west, you learned that "Watts Hated Duke."
Comments
I asked my dad about Chin
Wed, 09/12/2012 - 18:34 — RSPAGEI asked my dad about Chin Page road many years ago. He said the Chin was because this Page had a very large chin. If he had large feet it could have been "Footsie Page Road". That area of Page Road and Chin Page road was settled and farmed by Pages - also related to Frank Page, founder of Cary.
I have a chance to visit
Wed, 08/05/2009 - 13:34 — BullogI have a chance to visit Durham next month. I'll make sure I stop by and see how funny they are. LoL. Thanks for the info.
9th Street is called 9th Street because of Walltown
Thu, 07/31/2008 - 16:51 — John Schelp (not verified)Ninth Street is called Ninth Street because of Walltown. Learn why (and more about street names) here... http://www.owdna.org/1920map.htm
A street off Cole Mill Rd.,
Tue, 07/22/2008 - 22:53 — --Lisa S. (not verified)A street off Cole Mill Rd., west of Pleasant Green, is "Deas Drive." My theory as to the derivation of its name: Someone, asked what to name the street, said "no ideas" and so wrote it down--with no i.
Intersection of Chapel Hill and University
Tue, 07/22/2008 - 12:02 — Michael Bacon (not verified)Here's one route that's always fun....
Start downtown and head west on Chapel Hill. Drive until it turns into Duke University, and take a left on (what else?) Chapel Hill. Take that until it crosses over Chapel Hill, and turn left to make your way down so you can get onto Chapel Hill. Follow that all the way until it T's into University, and take a right. Pass Chapel Hill on your right, and take a left on Old Chapel Hill. Follow this until the end, when you can take a left on Old Chapel Hill, or a right onto University.
Other fun ones --
In Watts Hospital-Hillandale, there's two consecutive parallel streets named Woodrow and Wilson.
In Old West Durham, there's the famous Ninth St., and 15th St., but no other numbered streets anywhere to be found.
The 27705 post office sits on Kangaroo Drive. I've always wished they'd named it "Court" instead of "Drive."
And just where the hell did the name "Chin Page Rd." come from anyway?