What's in a Name Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Where Did Pinch And Quick Get Their Names?

There are two communities in northern Kanawha County that, when said together like they often are, sound more like something your grandmother used to do when you were being naughty.

The towns Pinch and Quick are nestled along the banks of the Elk River. They’re only about 13 miles away from Charleston, but they have their own identity, even if the origin of the names isn’t as interesting as it sounds like it should be.

Pinch is named for the Pinch Creek and Quick is named for the Quick family, according to Ellie Teaford, the of the Elk Valley Branch Library. Teaford said the Pinch name came about during a particularly difficult time in the early settler’s history.

“There was a lack of food in the area for the pioneers. So they were literally feeling a pinch in their gut and named the creek after it,” she said. It was originally Pinch Gut Creek.

Without that historical context, it can be kind of funny that two towns named Pinch and Quick are right next to each other. It’s actually led to a lot of jokes over the years. For Kaitlin Jordan, who attended Pinch Elementary School, just saying the school name was a hazard.

“All I know is that I would get pinched if I said it in elementary school,” she said. “The kids would say ‘Hey, what’s the name of our elementary school? I can’t remember,” and then when you said it, you would get pinched.”

A third community in the area has an unusual name, but for a completely different reason. Big Chimney is named for a big chimney that used to be part of a salt production facility along the Elk River.

While it may sound utilitarian, the chimney itself was a local landmark. It even inspired a poem. The verse was discovered on the back of an old photo.

The Big Chimney

Marred and stained by the rush of time

It stood by the riverside

A landmark to all nigh sublime

Who lived round the countryside

Twas the chapel slaves that molded each block

From the plantation just over the way

And quickly, with chisel, fashioned each rock

In the base and coping gray.

The corner was torn by the lightning’s flash

That the vines strove ever hide

And down the face a ragged gash

The years rove wider and wider

Sixty feet it lifted its towering crest

From foundation laid in lime and clay,

A silent sentinel barring expressed 100 years today.

Evan Dockeridge is gone, and plans are forgotten

And the salt making industry is dead

For the ravages of war invaded the spot

And left defeat in thread.

The poem is attributed to William W. Wertz, the mayor of Charleston from 1923 to 1931. A news article from the Charleston Daily Mail in 1928 details the day the chimney collapsed, brought down by high winds.

The Origins of Monongahela and its Many Pronunciations

Inside Appalachia’s What’s in a Name segment explores the history and folklore of the names of Appalachian places. For the latest segment, we dug a little deeper into a debate we’ve had here in our newsroom — the origins of the name of one of our rivers — and how to pronounce it.

If you’ve ever been to Morgantown, West Virginia, you’ve probably driven over or near the Monongahela River. Some people pronounce it, Mononga-HEE-la and some people pronounce it Mononga-HAY-la.

So, which is the correct way to say it? And where does the name originate, anyway?

Lately it came to our attention that people pronounce the name of the 130-mile river that flows from northern West Virginia to Pittsburgh, differently

“The name comes from one of several interpretations of American Indian words that I can’t pronounce for you, but which translate into place of many landslides or high banks or bluffs falling down in many places,” Kelly Bridges, public affairs officer for the Monongahela National Forest, said. The forest is named after the river.

Most people just say ‘The Mon’ when referring to the forest or river — it’s easier than saying the full 11-letter word. But if you call the Mon National Forest Service this is what you hear…

“Thank you for calling the Department of Agriculture Mononga-HEE-la National Forest.”

“I pronounce it Mononga-HAY-la. And my mom — I asked her the other day — and she says Mononga-HAY-la.”

Taira asked her coworkers, too.

“The executive director pronounces it Mononga-HEE-la and his secretary says Mononga-HAY-la. The Cheat Ranger district ranger pronounces it Mononga-HEE-la.”

So this got us thinking, is there a right way to say the name?

A view of the Dolly Sods Wilderness Area, which is part of the Monongahela National Forest in eastern West VIrginia.

The word originates from the Lenape language — spoken by the Delaware Tribe. A tribe that likely passed through northern West Virginia and southern Pennsylvania hundreds of years ago. We spoke with Jim Rementer who is the tribe’s language director.

“The proper Lenape pronunciation is Mo-noun-GEE-ha-la.”

But before learning the Lenape language, Jim pronounced it differently.

“I grew up in eastern Pennsylvania and I’d always heard and said Mononga-HEE-la.”

So there’s Mo-noun-GEE-ha-la, Mononga-HEE-la…and Mononga-HAY-la, but there’s one other way people say it in southern Pennsylvania. Where the town is named after the river.

“It is Mononga-hell-uh,” resident Diana Barber said.

Let us know if there’s a name of a place in Appalachia you’re curious about, send us a tweet @InAppalachia and we might explore it. If you want to hear other What’s In A Name features, or to check out Inside Appalachia, visit the show page.

How Did Coopers Rock Get its Name?

Some of the names of places in Appalachia have a long history, dating back to the 1600s. The history and story behind a name can get lost over time – leading us to question how a place got its name.

One such place is Coopers Rock state forest, located outside of Morgantown. Who was Cooper? Was he a real person? Did he live there?

At the far end of the forest there is a giant rock overlook. It is the spot best known at Coopers Rock.

The rock is about the size of a large living room. Standing atop it, one can see for miles. It overlooks the Cheat River and basin, and in every direction are the Appalachian Mountains covered in lush green trees.

Jan Dzierzak, Coopers Rock State Park superintendent, describes what is to the left from the overlook.

“Not a lot of lights not a lot of houses, not a lot of stuff going on that direction,” he said.

To the right is more development.

“We’re looking at Morgantown,” Jan said. “You can see the Morgantown airport, the water tower, and the long straight line you can see the [West Virginia University] Coliseum.”

Jan Dzierzak, Coopers Rock Park superintendent, at the park. He says the rock is named after a profession, not necessarily a person named ‘Cooper.’

Standing on the furthest corner of the rock one can see the lush forest below, with the Cheat River snaking its way through the valley. About 300,000 people come each year to see this view, and one of their main questions is, “Who is this man named Cooper?”

“Everyone thinks Coopers Rock is a rock named after someone named Cooper,” Jan said. “They say, ‘I want to see Cooper’s Rock.’”

It turns out he does not exist. There is no Cooper.

“It’s actually named after a profession – a cooper – someone who builds barrels,” he said.

Coopers often build barrels used for aging bourbon.

The legend is that a fugitive cooper lived in this forest near Coopers Rock in the early 1800s. He likely spent time on the overlook as the forest eventually became known as Coopers Rock.

“The legend states that there was an outlaw that lived in the forest and he would steal the lumber and would build barrels,” Jan said. “Back in that day there was a lot of commerce in the area — they were using timber to fuel the iron furnaces and early trade. So, he would make a living selling barrels while living here on the forest illegally.”

There is very little record on this outlaw. But it is not hard for Jan to imagine what he might have looked like.

“I always picture him as your typical woodsman running around the woods probably bearded, probably a bit dirty,” Jan said. “There’s a few caves in the park — I predict he was probably in there. Someone you don’t want to mess with, but also a good sense of humor — you have to have one to live out here and do what he did.”

Is there a name of a place in Appalachia that you’ve always been curious about? Let us know at Insideappalachia@wvpublic.org.

This story is a part of this week’s Inside Appalachia episode focusing on the beer and spirits industry and culture in Appalachia.