Hello class. You may recall that last week we studied islands: Pine Island, Wolf Island, Brandt Island and Goodspeed Island. Real or imagined, they are all familiar places in our community. I also mentioned a few streets of note. Today’s lesson will take a deeper dive into the streets of Mattapoisett.
Sorry folks, but once a teacher, always a teacher.
Since that column, I have been thinking a lot about streets in general and here in particular. One doesn’t think much about streets unless yours is not plowed in the winter, or they can cost you an arm and a leg to repair your car after an encounter with a pothole, but streets are very interesting. They may be called roads, lanes, paths, avenues, boulevards, highways, byways, arteries, ways, parkways, freeways, thoroughfares, rows, terraces and so on.
They all have names. Main Street is a common name. There seems to be one in every town. According to the U.S. Census, there are almost 11,000 Main Streets in the U.S.A. We have one. Alas, it is not the most popular street name in the country. Park Street is and we have three of those – a Lane, a Place and a Street. Main Street is tied with First Street for the second-most-popular name. We have one of those also. It is off Hollywood Road near Second and Third Streets just off Avenue A. Got all that?
The shortest street in the country is McKinley Street in Bellefontaine, Indiana. It’s just 30 feet long. By the way, the longest street is Colfax Avenue in Denver. It has been called “the longest, wickedest street in America.” They must have stolen that designation from Boston’s Washington Street, which starts in the city and goes to the Rhode Island line. It’s wicked long. In fact, there are six distinct Washington Streets in the city of Boston. Lord help any first responder on an emergency call.
First responders back here at home must be on the ball too. A perusal of Mattapoisett’s list of streets reveals some interesting facts. Did you know there are eight streets with the name Bay in them? Bay Road, not to be confused with Bayview Avenue, Bay Shore Drive, Bayberry Lane and three Bay View Avenues – Cd, Ms, and Bd (whatever those letters mean), and just plain Bay Street.
There is a Beach Street and a Beach Road. Not to be confused with Beech Tree Lane or Beech Wood Road. Back to the islands: There is Brandt Island Road, Brandt Island Avenue, Brandt Island Shores, and Island View Avenue.
Tree names are popular. Perhaps you live on Cedar Point Avenue, Cedar Street, Cedar Road, or Cedarcrest Avenue. There are three Highland Avenues – Pc, Bb and a Highland View. Confused yet? I am! Hope your GPS is working if you were to come home late one night and turn onto Field Street instead of Fieldstone Drive or Fieldcrest Lane.
There must be a lot of holly in town because there is Holly Lane, Holly Hollow Lane, Holly Street, and Holly Wood Road, which is not the aforementioned Hollywood Road.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the four Oaklands: the Street, the Terrace, the Way and the Avenue. Plus, the Pines … Pine Island Road, Pine Ridge Lane, Pine Road and Pine Street.
And, of course, the famous Pigwackett Lane. There is only one of those.
Editor’s note: Mattapoisett resident Dick Morgado is an artist and retired newspaper columnist whose musings are, after some years, back in The Wanderer under the subtitle “Thoughts on ….” Morgado’s opinions have also appeared for many years in daily newspapers around Boston.
Thoughts on…
By Dick Morgado