Have you ever been driving through Delaware and had to do a double-take when you passed a certain town name? Or have you ever wondered if any of our state’s creepy town names had an equally sinister past? Read below to see what the real story is being these goofy and creepy Delaware town names.
- Slaughter Beach
Flickr / Norton Gusky While there are plenty of legends about how this peaceful town came to have such a horrifying name, most people agree that the town was named for its postmaster in the 1800s, William Slaughter. We’ll also accept the story of how people couldn’t get over how many dead horseshoe crabs washed up on the shore…
…oh yeah, PETA has been petitioning to get the town to change names.
- Broadkill Beach
Flickr / Mike Mahaffie Sadly, no fun or horrifying story here. The town is named after the Broadkill River… with “kill” being the Dutch word for a creek or stream.
- Dagsboro
Flickr / Lee Cannon This sleepy town has a quirky name that sounds like something a Loony Toon would yell out when confronted with a foiled plan. Unfortunately, there’s no funny explanation for this funny name. The town was named after John Dagsworthy, a Revolutionary War hero from Sussex County.
- Gumboro
Facebook / The Store in Gumboro Gumboro is one of those quirky, rural towns that definitely has more livestock than people. It’s home to a tasty restaurant called the Store… and not much else. Other than “Gumboro” just sounding like a farming town name, I couldn’t find any explanation as to where the name came from.
- Wyoming
Flickr / Jimmy Emerson Wyoming, Delaware certainly lacks the national parks and forests of Wyoming the state, but that’s not even what it was named after! When minister John J. Pierce moved here in 1865, he was coming from the Wyoming Valley of Pennsylvania. Being a very creative man, he named his new settlement Wyoming as well.
- Odessa
Flickr / Doug Kerr Odessa Delaware was originally named Cantwell’s Bridge, but when it began to fail as a port town, it was renamed after the famous Ukranian port town, hoping it would bring travelers based on name alone. It didn’t exactly work, but the Odessa Historic District today stands as a testament to those who did make this town home.
- Blades
Flickr / John M. Blades was my last hope for a creepy serial-killer inspired name in a state that has a lot of potential… but luckily the town is just named after James Blades, who was a railroad pioneer and landowner in this part of the state.
Did you know that Slaughter Beach is actually one of the most unique spots in the country? Read about what makes this unfortunately named town a fascinating spot to biologists and nature lovers here: The Delaware Beach That’s Unlike Any Other In The World
Flickr / Norton Gusky
While there are plenty of legends about how this peaceful town came to have such a horrifying name, most people agree that the town was named for its postmaster in the 1800s, William Slaughter. We’ll also accept the story of how people couldn’t get over how many dead horseshoe crabs washed up on the shore…
…oh yeah, PETA has been petitioning to get the town to change names.
Flickr / Mike Mahaffie
Sadly, no fun or horrifying story here. The town is named after the Broadkill River… with “kill” being the Dutch word for a creek or stream.
Flickr / Lee Cannon
This sleepy town has a quirky name that sounds like something a Loony Toon would yell out when confronted with a foiled plan. Unfortunately, there’s no funny explanation for this funny name. The town was named after John Dagsworthy, a Revolutionary War hero from Sussex County.
Facebook / The Store in Gumboro
Gumboro is one of those quirky, rural towns that definitely has more livestock than people. It’s home to a tasty restaurant called the Store… and not much else. Other than “Gumboro” just sounding like a farming town name, I couldn’t find any explanation as to where the name came from.
Flickr / Jimmy Emerson
Wyoming, Delaware certainly lacks the national parks and forests of Wyoming the state, but that’s not even what it was named after! When minister John J. Pierce moved here in 1865, he was coming from the Wyoming Valley of Pennsylvania. Being a very creative man, he named his new settlement Wyoming as well.
Flickr / Doug Kerr
Odessa Delaware was originally named Cantwell’s Bridge, but when it began to fail as a port town, it was renamed after the famous Ukranian port town, hoping it would bring travelers based on name alone. It didn’t exactly work, but the Odessa Historic District today stands as a testament to those who did make this town home.
Flickr / John M.
Blades was my last hope for a creepy serial-killer inspired name in a state that has a lot of potential… but luckily the town is just named after James Blades, who was a railroad pioneer and landowner in this part of the state.
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