9 RI locations that do not actually exist

“What’s in a reputation? That which we name a rose by some other identify would odor simply as candy.”

–William Shakespeare, in “Romeo and Juliet”

A few of the best-known locations in Rhode Island do not actually exist.

You are most likely accustomed to lots of them.

You most likely assume you have been to them.

However, nope. They do not exist. Individuals have been mendacity to you.

Greater than a handful of Rhode Island locations are recognized by common names that official mapmakers simply do not acknowledge.

From historic grudges towards King George III to honors for a Twentieth-century senator to superhero TV exhibits, loads of Rhode Island quirks have stored these cartographers on their toes.

For this story, we take into account the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, a federal panel that settles disputes over the names of locations, the last word authority, although it generally punts. For instance, the board will not weigh in on what to name artifical buildings, so we flip to different sources.

Listed here are 9 locations we discover in Unreal Rhode Island:

Tower Hill

Most Rhode Islanders have most likely handed the spectacular picket lookout tower in South Kingstown on their option to the South County seashores. Sure, it is on a hill. And, sure, this part of Route 1 can be referred to as Tower Hill Highway.

However the hill with the tower isn’t Tower Hill. That is a spot just a little additional south off Tower Hill Highway. The hill with the tower is McSparran Hill.

Slender River

A minimum of elements of this river are very slim, however that is not its identify. The river – together with a close-by cove, neighborhood and distinguished rocky cliff – share the somewhat-difficult-to-pronounce identify: Pettaquamscutt. So, it is Pettaquamscutt River.

First Seashore

First Seashore could also be what everybody in Newport calls it, however the feds say we needs to be utilizing Easton’s Seashore. (Nicely, really, due to a long-running disapproval of utilizing possessives in place names, the the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, says “Easton Seashore” is the identify, however clearly nobody calls it that, not less than not that we have heard.)

Capitol Hill

The state has invented “Capitol Hill” mailing addresses for various authorities places of work. 1 Capitol Hill is the Division of Administration. 2 Capitol Hill is the Division of Transportation. 3 Capitol Hill is the Division of Well being.

However Capitol Hill isn’t one among the seven hills upon which Windfall was constructed: Federal Jill; School Hill; Tockwotten Hill; Christian Hill; Structure Hill, which some take into account a part of School Hill; Weybosset Hill, which was leveled within the 1800s to construct the Turk’s Head Constructing; and Smith Hill, the hill on which the capitol, recognized higher because the State Home, and people state departments relaxation.

Amica Mutual Pavilion

This one’s a bit difficult to determine. Undoubtedly, the sector was constructed because the Windfall Civic Middle in 1972 as a metropolis facility.

In 2001, in a cope with Dunkin’ Donuts, the town bought naming rights to the espresso chain.

In 2005, the Rhode Island Conference Middle Authority purchased the constructing and joined it with the Conference Middle.

And, in 2022, the Conference Middle Authority, bought “naming and identification rights” to Amica Mutual Insurance coverage in a 10-year deal value not less than $650,000 a 12 months. Amica selected to establish the constructing because the “Amica Mutual Pavilion.”

However does that imply it is not the Civic Middle?

If the Civic Middle nonetheless exists, nobody on the Conference Middle Authority goes to let you know. That is as a result of the deal they signed with Amica requires them to name it “Amica Mutual Pavilion” or one among a number of accredited nicknames, reminiscent of “AMP PVD.” In reality, they even agreed to attempt to get everybody else to name it the “AMP” as an alternative of the Civic Middle.

However the contract governing the deal repeatedly calls it “Civic Middle.”

As on this clause: “‘Civic Middle”’ means the multi-purpose enviornment, situated at One LaSalle Sq., Windfall Rhode Island owned by the Authority.”

Or this one: “It’s the events’ intent that upon execution of this Settlement, the identify ‘Dunkin’ Donuts Middle’ and all references thereto shall be faraway from the Civic Middle.”

And there are quite a lot of others like this.

So, it is as much as you to determine: Is the Civic Middle no extra? Or did the Conference Middle Authority simply agree to make use of one other identify when speaking about it?

South County

Rhode Island’s southernmost county – or not less than elements of it – has lengthy passed by the fictional identify “South County.”

“South County” may be discovered within the identify of venerable establishments within the space, together with South County Hospital, in addition to nearly in all places: the South County Bike Path, the South County Museum and the South County Tourism Council. There are most likely quite a lot of Rhode Islanders who do not even know that the county’s official identify is Washington County.

The phrase origin is fairly easy:

When the county was shaped in 1729, its official identify was Kings County. However, within the 1760s, through the run-up to the Revolutionary Conflict, Rhode Islanders had no use for the king and wanted a distinct identify. The South County Historical past Middle has discovered a 1767 reference to “the South County” in written testimony about taxation by Levi Whipple. The identify caught, even after 1781, when the county was named for Revolutionary Conflict hero George Washington.

As with all fictional place, the exact boundaries of South County are hazy.

At its most expansive, some embody all of Washington County and not less than elements of East Greenwich in South County’s territory.

Purists, however, solely take into account the historic cities of Kings Towne and Charlestown – and possibly not even all elements of them – as being in South County. Kings Towne was divided into North Kingstown, South Kingstown, Narragansett and Exeter, although some would argue Exeter is not a part of South County. And Charlestown was divided into Charlestown and Richmond. (Charlestown itself was break up off from Westerly – which some assume ought to actually be a part of Connecticut anyway.)

Pawtucket River

The federal authorities acknowledges the identify “Blackstone River” for the physique of water that flows down from Massachusetts to the falls in downtown Pawtucket, and says, when the river goes over the falls, it turns into the Seekonk River all the method till it joins the Windfall River at India Level Windfall.

The U.S. Board on Geographic Names, acknowledges that some folks in Pawtucket wish to name the Seekonk River throughout the metropolis’s boundaries the Pawtucket River, however the board says no method

That has not stored some authorities companies, together with the state Division of Transportation, from mistakenly referring to the Pawtucket River, as in calling I-95’s crossing the “Pawtucket River Bridge.”

Newport Bridge

Native pleasure could also be extra cussed on the subject of the identify of this bridge than Pawtucket has for its river.

In-built 1969, the span linking the Connanicut Island city of Jamestown to the Aquidneck Island metropolis of Newport was christened the Newport Bridge.

However, 33 years later the Normal Meeting renamed it the Claiborne Pell Bridge in 1992 to honor the previous diplomat and 36-year U.S. senator, who would reside till 2009.

Though come subsequent 12 months the bridge may have been named for Pell longer than it was formally the Newport Bridge, Rhode Islanders, particularly these in Newport and Jamestown, present little signal of letting go. Although many have conceded considerably, bridging the identify divide and calling the span the still not real ‘Newport Pell Bridge.’

Superman Constructing

Everybody is aware of this is not the true identify of the constructing. (Do not they?)

However the nickname is not even correct.

It derives from the constructing’s obscure resemblance to Los Angeles Metropolis Corridor, which was used within the opening of the Fifties TV sequence “Adventures of Superman” as the house of the “Each day Planet” newspaper.

Now bearing the pedestrian moniker, 111 Westminster, for the road deal with of the “again” of the constructing, it has had a number of official names, beginning with Industrial Belief Co. Constructing and together with Fleet Financial institution Tower and Financial institution of America Constructing, as possession has modified.

One confirmed similarity between Windfall’s Superman Constructing and the Each day Planet Constructing: the Industrial Belief Co. Constructing and L.A. Metropolis Corridor have been every inbuilt 1928.

This text initially appeared on The Windfall Journal: UNREAL RI: Real names of places you call something else