Odd town names carry history, humor

“What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet,” Juliet, in William Shakesphere’s Romeo and Juliet.

The phrase first stated four centuries ago reflects that it matters not what your name is, but rather what you are.

What’s in a name? With Texas towns, often a lot of history and sometimes a little humor.

We should start with the nearest odd name to us, Whiskey Flats. It is said in the 1940s the community of Wheatland was the closest stop for alcohol south of then dry Parker County, and patrons began calling the small cluster of businesses Whiskey Flats. For a period of time it had a city limit sign, which has been absent for years. Google Maps show it as a dot at HWY 1187 and HWY 377 south of Benbrook.

Old Dime Box on Farm Road 141 began as a settlement in 1869 after settler Joseph Brown built a sawmill near what is now State Highway 121. The community of mostly immigrants changed the name from Brown’s Mill to Dime Box to avoid being confused with Brownsville. When a post office opened in 1877, townsfolk deposited mail with a dime in a small box inside Brown’s office. Old Dime Box currently has a population of about 300.

A historical marker in front of Dime Box Trinity Lutheran Church indicates the town was one of Stephen F. Austin's early settlements.

Even smaller than Old Dime Box is Podunk, Texas. The fabled name didn’t exist until school kids painted it on the water tower of Denver Harbor subdivision in the 1930s during the Great Depression and the name spread, referring to any tiny settlement of the time. The community of Denver Harbor is still near Houston, but Podunk exists only as a spot on internet maps.

Bacon would be a tasty name for a town, especially with Beans. Named in 1910 after Wichita Falls’ first mayor, Otis Bacon, the town of Bacon was where Sheppard Air Force Base is outside Wichita Falls. Beans is an unincorporated community in Jasper County.

TCU fans may like Frog, a community in Kaufman County. If you are not a TCU fan, then how about Frognot, northeast of Dallas.

There was a bigfoot sighted in Texas, but it was Texas Ranger William "Bigfoot" Wallace.

Bigfoot, Texas, in Frio County is named for Texas Ranger William Alexander “Bigfoot” Wallace. Bigfoot, outside San Antonio, is west of Kyote, which is another cool town name.

Speaking of cool names, you will pass through Cool in west Parker County on HWY 180 while on your way to Mineral Wells State Park.

Cut and Shoot, meaning to run and shoot, is said by the townspeople to start from a dispute between, of all things, two factions of churches. Although no shots were fired, the story is church members in Montgomery County had a fiery dispute in July of 1912 over a public meeting hall where Methodist and Baptist leaders did not want Mormons and Apostolics to use the facility.

Ding Dong, Texas; if you don’t believe me, you can find it on Google Map west of Salado. The story goes it started in the 1930s when community leader Zulis Bell and nephew Bert Bell had two bells painted on the outside of the country store they operated.

To some folks not familiar with Western history, Goodnight may sound like a good place to sleep, but many know the town in the Panhandle is named for famed Texas cattle rancher, Charles Goodnight.

Nada, Spanish for “nothing,” actually began as Najda, Czech for “hope.” The town is on HW 71 in south Texas.

Nameless is northwest of Austin, Uncertain near Caddo Lake, Necessity is southeast of Breckenridge, and Oatmeal and Noodle are east of Burnet.

Sadly, Tarzan, in Martin County, Texas is too small a community to have its own high school. If it did, cheers at a football game would be hilarious.

Finally, let’s end with a few Texas towns named for places abroad, like Paris, Italy, Liverpool, Naples, Germany, Newcastle, and France, Texas.