State Capital Origins ~ Part One

After finishing my Second City Origins blog series I was wondering what to do next. Then in a blinding flash of light it came to me! Well not really, I just heard someone on TV talking about Tallahassee and I thought "Eureka! State Capitals".

I was thinking of a way to change the entry for each settlement. Because the United States is well known for quirky roadside attractions, I will add something that can be seen in the town instead of a short history of each place. Something eccentric. For example, if Amarillo was the state capital of Texas, I would choose Cadillac Ranch. Something weird, but to the local community, iconic.

Now, obviously, there are fifty states and, unbelievably, fifty state capitals. Good so far. But wait, putting all fifty into one blog entry would make for a very long blog and readers would get bored after the first dozen or so. So I will have to split them up, just to keep interest, and to make the waiting time less for publication. Fifty divided by two? Still too many at 25. Fifty divided by three? If I add Puerto Rico, that's 51 and 17 in each blog, still a lot. Anyway, to cut a long story short, I've decided to write four episodes, two with twelve capitals and two with thirteen, making a total of fifty...I think....Yeah it is. Puerto Rico will have to wait until a later date and another idea I have for the future.

Another thing I had to consider was the order? Alphabetically by state or by capital city? By population or by area? Earliest first or last? Well, it's my blog so my decision.....Alphabetically by the city I think is fair. So therefore, the first one in this short series of blogs is.....

One of the more unusual icons of Albany is Nipper. A statue of a dog that is associated with several companies, especially RCA but originally with HMV or His Master's Voice. The original dog was born in Bristol, UK, and was named Nipper because he had a habit of nipping visitors' ankles. His owner, Mark Barraud was a scenery designer and painted a picture of the dog listening to a gramophone that was used as an advertising design. The statue weighs four tons, is the largest in the world, and is located at 991 Broadway in Albany.

The area was the home of the Mohican tribe until the arrival of the Dutch in the 17th century, they built Fort Nassau on the Hudson River. When the British arrived they renamed the settlement Albany in honour of the Scottish title of the Duke of York, the Duke of Albany. Albany was a territorial term for land north of the River Forth, traditionally inhabited by the Picts.

ALBANY = NAMED AFTER THE DUKE OF ALBANY

For decades, Carlester Smith could be seen speed walking along West Street in Annapolis, collecting litter and washing windows for extra cash. He continued until severe arthritis prevented him from his daily routine and left him virtually housebound. A viral fundraiser ensured his care was financed, and local artist, Comacell Brown, designed and painted a mural in his honour. The mural is on the side of Pinkeys Liqour Store on the corner of North Linden Avenue and West St and is where Carlester bought sodas with the money he earned. Carlester Smith passed away in March 2021.

Annapolis has had different names in the past. When it was founded in 1683, it was called "Town at Proctor's" and then "Town at the Severn" refering to the river that flows through the area. Just eleven years later it became "Anne Arundel's Town". Shortly after the governor of the Province of Maryland moved the capital to the city and renamed it Annapolis. Now, you are possibly thinking that the name is still commemorating Anne Arundel, it was her town after all, but you would be wrong! Annapolis was named as such to honour Princess Anne of Denmark and Norway (Soon to become Queen Anne of Great Britain)

ANNAPOLIS = NAMED AFTER PRINCESS ANNE OF DENMARK AND NORWAY

The old Coca-Cola museum was purchased by the state in 2007 when the museum moved to its current location. The old building has since been demolished to provide parking for the state capitol. The museum is located at 121 Baker Street, a short distance from where John Pemberton created the original formula of Coca-Cola. The museum features a movie about the secret formula and there is a tasting room where visitors can try 60 different recipes from around the world. There is also memorabilia dating back to the companies early days.

The origin of the name "Atlanta" is quite straightforward, it derives from the word Atlantic. However, not the ocean, but from the Western and Atlantic Railroad, the largest of several railroad companies whose lines converged in the area.

ATLANTA = COMES FROM THE WESTERN AND ATLANTIC RAILROAD

In the Capitol Complex of Augusta is the First Amendment Museum, celebrating the nation's "Right to Free Speech". The building was originally built for and owned by one of the most influential and important figures in Maine's newspaper publishing industry, Guy P Garnett. The house, which bears his name, was built in 1911 and at the time was a showcase for modern amenities such as electric lights and an elevator. The museum is open year round and is free. It is located at 184 State St. Augusta.

The city of Augusta was first settled by the English in 1628 when it became a trading post on the Kennebec River. It was then known by it's Native American name of Cushnoc meaning "head of the tide". There were many conflicts with the local tribes right up until the American Revolutionary War when the town of Cushnoc was incorporated in 1797 as Harrington. Just six months later the name was changed to Augusta after Pamela Augusta Dearborn, daughter of Henry Dearborn, an American military officer and politician.

AUGUSTA = NAMED AFTER PAMELA AUGUSTA DEARBORN

In a quiet suburban street in the south of Austin, there is a home with a difference. In the backyard there has been built a cathedral, but not a normal cathedral, this one is built of junk that has been donated or collected since 1989. There are now at least sixty tons of junk that just appear to be stacked randomly. One could be forgiven for thinking that it is just a pile, but the city has sent engineers and surveyors and the structure is safe. It can be found at 4422 Lareina Drive, Austin.

There has been habitation in the Austin area since around 9,000 BC, however, the city of Austin was only founded in 1839 during the brief period of the Republic of Texas. It was initially called Waterloo but soon changed to Austin in honour of Stephen F. Austin, the "Father of Texas".

AUSTIN = NAMED AFTER STEPHEN F. AUSTIN ("FATHER OF TEXAS")

In Galvez Plaza in central Baton Rouge stands a statue of Oliver Pollock. He was a major financier of the American Revolutionary War, donating the equivalent of a billion dollars to the cause. Unfortunately once the US had overthrown the British, he was unable to recoup his investment due to the newly formed Congress not having sufficient funds. He was however accredited with inventing the dollar sign "$", it is thought that in his many letters he described the amount of Spanish pesos he had sent and used a "p" and "s" to denote pesos. The two letters overlapped and looked similar to an S with a line through it. When the new dollar currency was introduced the symbol used by Pollock was designated to be used for a $ sign.

We all know that Baton Rouge is French for Red Stick, but where was the stick and why was it red? Well, when a French explorer, Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville, was travelling upstream on the Mississippi River in 1698, he saw a red pole sticking into the ground. This pole was marking the boundary between the Houma and Bayagoula tribal hunting grounds. The pole was on land that is now in the grounds of the Southern University at a place called Scott's Bluff.

BATON ROUGE = RED STICK

Lenard Milo Mennes was just an ordinary guy working for the North Dakota DMV, that's the Department of Motor Vehicles in the USA, a bit like the DVLA in the UK. One day, while he was undoubtably bored, he invented the license plate tag. This is the small square sticker on the corner of every vehicles licence plate in the USA, denoting the current year and indicating the vehicles up-to-date registration status at a glance. The "tags" were first introduced in North Dakota but the idea quickly spread to the rest of the USA and elsewhere. Lenard never patented his invention but allowed it to be used freely, a bit like Volvo when they invented the seatbelt.

The Bismarck area has been inhabited for many centuries, the Hidatsa name for it is Mirahacii arumaaguash which means "Place of the Tall Willows". However, in 1872, it was named by European settlers as Missouri Crossing, being the place the river was crossed by Lewis and Clark on their famous expedition. In 1873, it was renamed Bismarck by the Northern Pacific Railway in honour of the German chancellor, Otto von Bismarck, in an attempt to attract German settlers and therefore German investment into the railroad.

BISMARCK = NAMED AFTER OTTO VON BISMARCK

If you didn't know, Idaho is famous as a potato growing state. As part of the Idaho Potato Commission's 75th anniversary in 2012, they built a large potato weighing in at six tons of steel, plaster, and concrete. The spud was then fastened to the back of a semi-trailer and was supposed to be hauled around various shows, supermarkets, and events around the country to promote Idaho potatoes. After a successful campaign of seven years (six more than anticipated) the mock-up potato was retired. A Boise builder purchased it and turned it into a small hotel that is available on AirBnB! It currently resides at Orchard Access Road and E Monroe Road in Boise.

There are two thoughts on the origin of the name Boise. Both come from French and mean virtually the same. The river flowing through the city is called the Boise River and the name reflects that, however the river was thought to get it's name from early settlers on the Oregon Trail. When seeing the river and its lush green valley, their French speaking guides exclaimed, "Les Bois, Les Bois" meaning "The Woods, the woods". The other explanation is similar with French Canadian trappers calling the river "a rivière boisée" or the "wooded river".

BOISE = WOODS

In the 1930s, an architect named Chester Lindsay Churchill designed a globe to represent the worldwide reach of the Christian Science Monitor magazine. The globe he designed and subsequently built was three storeys high and the viewpoint is from the centre of the Earth. It gives a perspective of where each country is positioned in relation to others, and can also be used to describe why airplanes fly in the direction they do to reduce distances. The Mapparium can be visited at 210 Massachusetts Ave, Boston. The one in Massachusetts not the one in Lincolnshire UK.

Puritan settlers founded Boston in 1630 across the river from the earlier settlement of Charlestown, now the oldest suburb of the city. In his final act before his death Isaac Johnson, the first magistrate of Massachusetts, founded the city under the name of Boston. He named it after the town in England that he emigrated from, Boston, Lincolnshire. The original town of Boston took it's name from it's patron saint, St. Botolph, being called originally "St.Botolphs Town" which was corrupted over the years to Boston.

BOSTON = NAMED AFTER BOSTON, UK (Which was named after St.Botolph)

Just outside Carson City on route 50 to Dayton and Silver Springs stands a strange sight. An artwork designed and built by David Fambrough and inspired by a scarab beetle he was sketching. He was amazed by the similarity between the bug and,...well...the VW "bug" that he set about creating this giant spider or as he calls it an "automobug". The design is supposed to represent the Scarab, however most people just see a black widow or a reference to a giant tarantula as seen in a 50's horror film. The artwork is at 10087 Highway 50 East, Mound House, Nevada.

Quite simply, Carson City is named after the famous frontiersman, Kit Carson, real name Christopher Houston Carson. He was a fur trapper, wilderness guide, Indian agent, and US Army officer. His Wikipedia entry is a fascinating read about his varied and often brutal life, I thoroughly recommend it. 

CARSON CITY = NAMED AFTER KIT CARSON, FRONTIERSMAN

From some of the largest artworks, we now investigate one of the smallest. In downtown Charleston, tucked away between two buildings is a man made of mortar that looks like he is trying to escape. Known as "Mortar Man" for obvious reasons, he is the creation of local sculptor P. Joseph Mullins, better known for his Veterans Memorial at the WV Capitol Building. He was working on the building next door and on a whim used some leftover mortar to create the sculpture and hid it in the brickwork. Mortar Man was removed during renovations at one time, however there was an outcry by locals that their unofficial mascot had gone, that he was returned to his rightful place. If you have a sharp set of eyes and a little patience, you can find him at 108-112 Capitol Street in Charleston.

The land upon which the city of Charleston sits was deeded in the 18th century to Thomas Bullitt, a US military officer. Upon his death it passed to his brother Cuthbert, who subsequently sold it to Colonel George Clendenin in 1786. He then built the first settlement and named it after his father Charles Clendenin. It initially was known as Charlestown but changed to Charleston to avoid another town of the same name in eastern West Virginia. The Charleston dance is named after the port city in South Carolina.

CHARLESTON = NAMED AFTER CHARLES CLENDENIN

Mostly scattered around the downtown area of Cheyenne there are more than thirty "Big Boots". A few are out of town in various places but the majority are in the city. They stand at around eight feet high and were the brainchild of the Cheyenne Depot Museum. They started as a fundraiser with the museum making initially around $100,000, since then local businesses have jumped on board and purchased their own boot, local artists have created the designs that each tell a different story of the city. An audio tour is available that gives an insight into each boot. Go to this website for more info on the boots.

The name of the city derives from the name of the indigenous Native American tribe that resided in the area. The city was founded shortly before the arrival of the Union Pacific Railroad. The tracks were laid in the city on November 13th 1867 and the following day the first train arrived! The name of Cheyenne is said to come from the Lakota word Šahíyena meaning "little Šahíya". Šahíya is thought by several Native American groups to be a word describing the Cree peoples.

CHEYENNE = NAMED AFTER CHEYENNE NATIVE AMERICAN GROUP

Local artist Blue Sky (aka Warren Edward Johnson) has other installations in Columbia, namely "Tunnelvision" (a painted trompe l'oeil of a tunnel that almost invites drivers to hit a brick wall, a bit like Wile E painted for Roadrunner to hit!) and "Busted Plug Plaza" ( the world's largest fire hydrant!) however, the "Never Bust Chain" between two buildings in Main Street has to be the most impressive. Made out of steel and professionally welded, the chain was installed without the permission of the city on a quiet Sunday night. Despite the fact that it is above city property, Columbia officials embraced the artwork as an asset to the city.

The city of Columbia has the nickname of Cola giving rise to a further nickname of Soda City. The proper name derives from the explorer Christopher Columbus who visited the area under the direction of the Spanish Crown. The original senate of the state held a vote on the name of the city, Columbia won 11 votes to 7 over the alternative name of Washington!

COLUMBIA = NAMED AFTER CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS

You may have noticed that several of the pictures of this blog are attributed to various users of the Atlas Obscura website. This fine example of an internet based information portal is a constant source of amazement to me. It catalogues many obscure interesting places worldwide. I know this may sound like an advertisement for them, but I have no affiliation with the website, other than I can highly recommend it, especially if, like me, you love to see quirky things in places.

So now we have finished our first episode of this four part series. The first thirteen entries from Albany to Columbia. I'm pretty sure that by car this isn't the most efficient route but it would certainly be an interesting road trip. Next up, we travel from Columbus to Jackson via some other places.

I must admit I am enjoying the research of these cities, not just the origin of the names but the weird and wonderful attractions to be found. If you know of any others in the cities I have featured then please let me know in the comments and as always "Smash That Like Button". I'm sounding more like a YouTuber every day, and I hate that, so sorry about the "smash" thingy.

Thats all for now, so I will "see" you in the next blog.

Oh and before I forget, seeing as I am posting this on the first day of 2025....