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Continue reading →: Why Do We Call It That? Hampden County Edition
AgawamPronunciation: Ag -a -wamPopulation as of 2020: 28,692Incorporated: 1855, as town. 1973, as cityOriginal Name: asquam? Agawam is usually presented as the name of a tribe of indigenous people, but this article pretty convincingly disputes that. Anyway, the meaning given there is “beyond the marsh.” The oldest park in the…
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Continue reading →: Why Do We Call It That? Franklin County Edition
I’ll be honest, I’m unfamiliar with most of this part of the state. I’m wondering why Franklin isn’t in Franklin County. All will be revealed. AshfieldPronunciation: Ash-feeldPopulation in 2020: 1,695Incorporated: 1765Original name: Ashfield was part of the Nipmuc Tribal Nation Originally settled as Huntsville, in honor of Captain Ephraim Hunt of…
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Continue reading →: Why Do We Call It That? Essex County Edition
I got so bored doing this county that I actually went back to make sure there was a fun fact about each town. AmesburyPronunciation: Ames-buh-ryPopulation in 2020: 17,366Incorporated: 1668 (as town) 1996 (as city)Original name: Unknown Amesbury began as part of Salisbury, which was named for Salisbury, England. When the new town…
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Continue reading →: Why Do We Call It That? Dukes County Edition
This one feels like cheating! Although there are 33 named islands in the county there are only 7 towns. The county was named for James, Duke of York. (He had 10,000 men.) AquinnahPronunciation: Uh-kwin-uhPopulation in 2020: 439Incorporated: 1870 (as Gay Head)Original name: Aquinnah Aquinnah (“land under the hill”) is the Wampanoag name…
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Continue reading →: Why Do We Call It That? Bristol County Edition
Here it is: beautiful Bristol County, Massachusetts AcushnetPronunciation: Ah-kush-netPopulation in 2020: 8,166 Incorporated: 1860Original name: Cushnea, meaning “peaceful resting place near water.” Acushnet is one of those towns I thought was on the Cape until I did the Barnstable County post. It sounds beachy. Anyway, good job Acushnet for keeping a reasonable facsimile…
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Continue reading →: Why Do We Call it That? Berkshire County Edition
With my exploration of Barnstable County at an end I turn my attention to the western part of Massachusetts. Let’s get into it! AdamsPronunciation: Ad-amsPopulation in 2020: 10,559Incorporated: 1778Original name: unknown Originally called Township Number One and then East Hoosac “a place of stones”, Adams was named for Samuel Adams, patriot and…
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Continue reading →: The Queen’s Teeth Part III: Tudor Toothpaste and You-Updated and Updated Again!
In Parts I and II I investigated the color and quality of Queen Elizabeth I’s teeth and her favorite sweets. Now I’m going to tackle a couple of oft-repeated assertions: Tudor Toothpaste Take a look online and you’ll see countless websites with statements like this: “Elizabeth was actually a fan…
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Continue reading →: The Queen’s Teeth Part II
As established in Part I, Queen Elizabeth I had toothaches, tooth decay and discoloration. But why? The internet thinks it knows: “Elizabeth had a notoriously sweet tooth, and had a particular taste for candied violets. Eventually, the sugar cane caused many of her teeth to go black.” “According to the…
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Continue reading →: The Queen’s Teeth Part I
While working on a future post related to 17th century dental health I repeatedly came across breathlessly relayed (and uncited) facts about Queen Elizabeth I and her teeth: In the absence of citations I can’t say that any of these things are true. So I thought I’d do a quick…