A few local Facebook groups have been enjoying listing “unusual town names” in Maryland, so we wanted to share a few with you. Of course, not all of the names listed here will be unusual for everyone, but here are just ten of the dozens that were listed by several people:
• Accident, MD: Located in Garrett County, the population was 338 at the 2020 United States census. Although the origin or meaning of the name remains unclear, a popular story suggests that Brooke Beall and William Deakins, Jr., two friends from Prince George’s County, were conducting separate surveys in the area. Allegedly, Deakins “accidentally” claimed land that had already been surveyed by Beall. According to Wikipedia, a person from Accident is referred to as an “Accidental”.
• Boring, MD: Boring is a unincorporated community in Baltimore County that is known for its quirky name, which wasn’t chosen to reflect the town’s lifestyle but was named after postmaster David Boring. The town was originally called Fairview, but the railroad requested a name change because there were multiple towns named Fairview along the rail line.
• California, MD: The census designated place in St. Mary’s County was named after the state of California sometime before 1897. While the exact origins are unclear, one story suggests that a family from California moved to the area and used materials from their home state to build a house they called the “California Farmstead.” Over time, the name became associated with the community.
• Chevy Chase, MD: Not named after the actor, Chevy Chase, Maryland is named after a tract of land called “Chevy Chace” that was patented to Colonel Joseph Belt in 1725. The Chevy Chase Land Company purchased the land in the 1890s. Some say the actor, whose real name is Cornelius Chase, is named for the city.
• Crapo, MD: Crapo is located along Lakesville-Crapo Road on the east bank of the Honga River in the southern part of Dorchester County. The name Crapo comes from “crapaud”, which is the French word for toad.
• Detour, MD: A post office called Detour was established in this unincorporated community in Carroll County back in 1905 and remained in operation until 1993. According to tradition, the indirect route of the railroad extending to the site accounts for the name.
• Girdletree, MD: Girdletree in Worcestor County is named after a tree that was marked (or girdled) by surveyors. The town grew around Girdletree Hill Farm, which was named for the tree.
• Ladiesburg, MD: According to an interview on the blog, Runaway Ridge, the Frederick County town (now unincorporated community) was named for the one man and seven women who lived there in the 1800s.
• Pigtown, MD: Technically a neighborhood that is located in the southwest area of Baltimore, it acquired its name during the second half of the 19th century, when the area was the site of butcher shops and meat packing plants to process pigs transported from the Midwest on the B&O Railroad. Babe Ruth was born and raised in Pigtown.
• Secretary, MD: The town is located in Dorchester County and has a population of about 600 people. Lord Baltimore named it for his secretary.