By Gary Bennett
Have you ever wondered how Frederick streets got their names? I sure do. We all spend a lot of time tooling around on Christopher’s Crossing, Gas House Pike, Bentz Street, Ice Street, Opossumtown Pike and more. So where in the world do these street names come from?
Many are no-brainers, of course. Market Street is the well-named shopping hub of downtown. East Street marks the long-ago eastern edge of Frederick city. Court Street takes you past the halls of jurisprudence. College Avenue deposits you near Hood College. Key Parkway and Thomas Johnson Drive are named after two of Frederick’s favorite sons. You get the picture.
But what about all the more obscure names that help give Frederick its flavor? And what about all the new developments? How do those streets get named? There are more than 2,000 street names in the main Frederick ZIP codes of 21701, 21702, 21703 and 21704, according to geographic.org, with more being added all the time.
So, is there any rhyme or reason to street naming? The mostly unsatisfying answer is yes and no.
The “yes” part is easy. Like most things local governments get involved in, there is a thick policy manual and a well-defined process in place. The county’s Inter-agency Information Technologies Division has an “Addressing and Street Naming Policy” that guides the process. Frederick County’s Geographic Information Systems, or GIS, oversees road-name review and addressing throughout the county.
The “no” part is not as cut and dried. For the most part, real estate developers get the privilege of proposing names for new streets according to their own whims and desires. They can pretty much submit any name they wish, including names of kids or relatives (first or last names only, but not both unless the person has been dead for at least five years!) or any name representing a theme or topic they choose.
THERE’S A THEME HERE
And a bit of an art, too. Developers’ marketing teams try to find names that describe the area well, help sell homes and ensure new residents feel good about their new address.
A local developer put it this way: “For consistency, developers’ marketing teams usually create a list of names that consider the theme of the neighborhood, the product being offered, or interesting aspects of the surrounding area. A list is then provided to the land development team. Once selected and approved, the names are added to the marketing site plan for final review and approval from the team and area jurisdictions as needed.”
There are many examples of themed street naming in Frederick. Look at Robin Meadows just off New Design Road in the Ballenger Creek area, for instance. The developers went with a bird theme. The main artery is Robin Drive, with offshoots bearing bird names such as Mallard, Sandpiper, Finch, Pintail and Canvasback.
The developers of Derbyshire in the eastern part of the city went with English-inspired names such as Wembley, Cromwell, Tenterden, Abbey and Chadwick.
The developers of Sycamore Ridge in the northern part of the city off Kemp Lane went with the names of places that are exotic and pleasant to visit: Palm Beach, Sonoma, Yosemite, Denali, Katahdin and Cohasset.
In Monocacy Village just off East Street, developers used names associated with Native American peoples and figures, including Pontiac, Cherokee, Delaware, Seminole, Shawnee, Cheyenne, Navaho and Apache.
Themes are great, but chances are there is no theme at all in your neighborhood.
The older the neighborhood, the less likely it has a theme. In the past, prominent roads and streets were often named after physical features such as Monocacy Boulevard, Rocky Springs Road, Ballenger Creek Pike and Hillcrest Drive or for historical figures, as with Carroll Parkway and Taney Avenue.
FREDERICK COUNTY RULES
According to the policy manual, safety is a guiding principle in naming streets in Frederick County. It makes sense. First responders must have a predictable addressing system that enables them to promptly respond to residential and business emergencies.
That means no new street name can duplicate an existing street name, but sound-alikes won’t fly either. That’s why you won’t find names like “Bayer” or “Bare” to accompany, say, Bear Den Road in northern Frederick. First responders must have no question about where they are going.
New street names must also be historically or culturally appropriate. Lee Place near Rosemont Avenue is an example of an older street named for a Civil War figure: Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.
It may be no surprise that developers try to steer clear of any controversial street names. Time is money, so coming up with, say, Bernie Madoff Way is not worth the trouble it may bring. Developers favor safe and pleasant-sounding street names for new developments like flower, bird, tree or animal names. Of course, those go fast, so developers have to be creative.
A street cannot use a living person’s full name. If a person’s first and last name are proposed, the applicant must prove the person has been deceased for at least five years and had historical, cultural or social importance. A good example is James I. Harris Memorial Drive just off Bowers Road in the west end. You may not know the name, but he was a prominent African American businessman and civil rights leader in Frederick. He died in 1969.
There are prohibited names, such as anything profane or derogatory to any race or ethnic group, religion or person. Names that are too long (21 characters is the limit), difficult to pronounce or protected by copyright or trademark, such as company or product names, are not allowed.
Residents may petition to change the name of their street if they so choose. Community groups have been successful over the years getting Sagner Court changed to Vermont Court, Sagner Drive to Rhode Island Court, Motter Alley to Kosman Alley and part of Hughes Ford Road to Monroe Avenue.
NAMING NAMES
For the inquisitive among us, here is the reasoning behind several prominent Frederick streets and roads. How many of these did you know?
• Baughman’s Lane — named after the prominent Baughman family, who were 19th-century residents of a local historic estate originally known as Poplar Terrace (and later Belle Aire Farm).
• Bentz Street — named after Jacob Bentz, an 18th-century landowner and miller whose stone gristmill along Carroll Creek was established by 1787.
• Christopher’s Crossing — named after Baron Christopher von Graffenried, who scaled Sugarloaf Mountain in 1712 to view the panorama of the area that later became Frederick County.
• Gas House Pike — named after the municipal gas works that was built along the eastern extension of East Church Street in the 19th century.
• Ice Street — named after a 19th-century commercial ice house owned by local businessperson George J. Fischer.
• Kemp Lane — named after early German immigrant and 18th-century farmer Frederick Kemp, who owned extensive historic properties in the Rocky Springs area.
• McCain Drive — named after Elmer D. McCain, who operated Hillcrest Orchards, originally McCain Orchards, which once covered the area along U.S. Route 40 West.
• Opossumtown Pike — named after a historical local settlement called Opossumtown that once existed near the route, not the little marsupial.
• Rosemont Avenue — named after the Rosemont subdivision, which was laid out in 1913 on land that previously operated as the Rosemont poultry farm.
There is nothing in Frederick’s street-naming policies that says street names can’t be funny or witty. Unfortunately, Frederick does not play that game much. English Muffin Way, High Hopes Drive and Lovely Court are the best examples. But other U.S. localities have no such qualms.
There are places in the U.S. where you can dally on Butt Road, take a trip down Memory Lane or count your money on Easy Street. According to Mental Floss, here are 10 beauties that Frederick could adopt:
• Duh Drive in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Not sure why you’re here, but it figures!
• Anyhow Lane in Gansevoort, New York
This road is like, whatever!
• Linger Longer Road in Greensboro, Georgia
As they say in the South, “Sit down and stay awhile!”
• Farfrompoopen Road in Fannie Township, Arkansas
This is the only way to get to Constipation Ridge (really!)
• This Ain’t It Road in Dadeville, Alabama
Don’t bother asking for directions here.
• Psycho Path in Traverse City, Michigan
Probably want to stay off this road.
• I Dream of Jeannie Way in Cocoa Beach, Florida
Tribute to sexy ‘60s TV genie whose master was an astronaut.
• 100 Year Party Court in Longmont, Colorado
Who wouldn’t want to live here?
• Hanky Panky Street in Las Vegas
Where else but Vegas, right?
• Weiner Cutoff Road
Sounds painful but was named after the town of Weiner, Arkansas.
With a rich language like ours, the possibilities are endless. So, the next time you wander through the latest Frederick subdivision, just know the street you are on may be named after a beloved child, grandparent, cousin, favorite hobby or perhaps nothing at all as long as it sounds nice. In any case, you can be secure knowing the name went through rigorous review, and there is no other like it in the entire county.
STREET NAME QUIZ
How well do you know Frederick streets and roads? Three of these are real. One is not. Can you spot the imposter? (Imposters are in italics.)
Birds
Bob White Court
Grouse Drive
Mockingbird Lane
Hummingbird Lane
Colors
Amber Drive
Lavender Plaza
Teal Lane
Burgundy Place
Girls’ Names
Brittany Court
Danielle Drive
Heather Lane
Tiffany Court
Coaches
Coach House Way
Coachlight Court
Coachman Court
Coach Handbag Way
Races
Darlington Court
Daytona Court
Pocono Drive
Talladega Drive
Places
Cumberland Court
Dover Circle
Providence Court
Philadelphia Avenue
Deer
Deer Spring Road
Deerfield Place
Deervalley Drive
Deer Lick Way
States
Delaware Road
Missouri Court
Maryland Avenue
West Virginia Court
Animals
Fox Road
Mink Farm Road
Timberwolf Drive
Raccoon Court
Schools
Harvard Place
Yale Court
Dartmouth Court
Princeton Road
People
Lew Wallace Street
Ray Smith Road
Walter Martz Road
Jim Grimes Boulevard
Directionals
North Street
South Street
East Street
West Street
Old
Old Line Drive
Old Seventh Street
Old Camp Road
Old Bay Street
Saints
Saint James Place
Saint Lawrence Court
Saint Mawes Court
Saint Jessica’s Way
Gary Bennett is a longtime Frederick resident who spends his time hiking, biking, volunteering and providing childcare for grandchildren. He is married and retired from his career as a nonprofit marketing executive.