"hall" as part of a name in cities in the US.

[Landau, James]

Don't you remember the famous event that happened at Appomattox Court
House, Virginia, in 1865?  Hint:  it occurred in the parlor of a house
owned by a man named "McLean" (another "Mc- prefix"!) who previously had
owned part of the Bull Run battlefield.

Seriously, there are many towns, most or all of them small, that have
"Court House" in their name.  Presumably this reflects that the local
Courthouse happens to have been built at some crossroads or wide spot in
the road that previously lacked a name, hence "Cape May Court House"
etc.

     - Jim Landau

-----Original Message-----
From: sagehen [mailto:sagehen at WESTELCOM.COM]
Sent: Thursday, May 24, 2007 11:22 PM
Subject: Re: "hall" as part of a name in cities in the US.

>> I grew up with a relative in Danville VA. who played baseball in a =
>> crossroads called "Batchelor's Hall." But I"m not sure of the
>> spelling.  =  It meant nothing to me at the time.  I'm on Mapquest
>> today looking for = places for a relative to spend the night in the
>> VA/NC area.  While I = can't find it right now, some town they went
>> through was called "XXXX = Hall."
>>
>> Is this just something that came from England? =20
>>
>> Sam Clements
 ~~~~~~~~~~~
There's  a Washington Court House, Ohio.
AM

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org