Newcomers to the Cove: Cove Names

Nancy and I camped at Shawnee State Park one week this fall and chatted with “neighbor” campers about the local area. The conversation turned to Everett because one of the campers was from there. I asked how the town got its name. The resident didn’t know. In fact, she didn’t know it was once called Bloody Run, after a battle between Native Americans and early settlers. We had a second, similar conversation with another Everett resident on another occasion. Again, he didn’t know that the name changed from Bloody Run to Everett.

So I began thinking about how towns in Morrisons Cove got their names. This is something most residents might know but, as a newcomer, I don’t. Who was Henrietta? Was there a real Mr. Loy? Who was William of Williamsburg?

But first I must finish the Everett story. The town actually had four names before Everett was finally agreed upon - Alliquippatown, Tusseys, Waynesburg (After General Anthony Wayne. The name “Waynesburg” was never widely accepted), and Bloody Run. In 1873 residents changed the name to Everett, which stuck. So who was Everett? Edward Everett was the keynote speaker at Gettysburg in 1863 during the dedication of the Union cemetery. He spoke for two hours. However, the comments we remember from that day were from President Lincoln. We call it the “Gettysburg Address.” He spoke for only two-minutes.

Now to Morrisons Cove, which was named for a surveyor from Washington County in Maryland, James Morrison. If we define the cove as bordered by Lock, Tussey, Evitts, Dunning, Short, and Loop Mountains, Williamsburg becomes the northern terminus and Loysburg the southern. That is a sizeable area.

In no particular order, here’s a look at how some cove communities were named.

Henrietta: According to D.M. Adams in his book, Revised and Enlarged History of Henrietta, the town is named for the wife of Mr. Archibald McAllister. Representative McAllister was elected to the US House of Representatives for the PA 17th District from 1863 to 1865.

Loysburg: In 1774, Martin Loy immigrated from Germany to the Pennsylvania colony. He settled on land which would become known as Loysburg in 1795. The settlement store and mill, built by Martin Loy, were sold to Major James Patton and Colonel John Bingham in 1844 so the town was renamed Pattonville. The properties were sold twice more and after the Civil War the town reverted to Loysburg.

Bakers Summit: This settlement had a few families with the Baker surname so it was, logically, called Bakersville. However, in 1876 the name was changed to Bakers Summit when the Post Office opened. The reason? There was already another Bakersville in Somerset County so it would have been confusing in the pre-zip code era. The puzzling thing to me is…where’s the summit? The area is relatively flat although there is a small mountain to the west which lies between the town and Dunnings Mountain. Could that be the “Bakers Summit?”

Curryville: This town on Route 866 was named for J.W. Curry who was the Railroad stationmaster and first ticket agent in the community. The railroad, I believe, is still active today as a spur from Roaring Spring to Curryville and Martinsburg.

Note: I used many sources for verification and accuracy as I wrote this article. I found a good website for the casual reader of Cove history to be Morrisonscove.net – JRW).

This article will continue in the March 31 edition of the Herald.