Back before the Internet killed amateur radio I had daily conversations with people from all over the Eastern US. Many ham radio operators developed a tag line of some sort to make themselves a little unique. One Indiana ham would announce his presence by broadcasting, “This is amateur radio station WA9RNC, coming to you from downtown Dismal Seepage, Indiana.” Another listed his location as Starvation Flats, Kentucky. I’ve checked and there are no such places in reality but there are plenty of American towns that have names the local Chamber of Commerce may wish they didn’t. The long list includes the following:
- Hooker Hole, LA
- Sweet Lips, TN
- Tarzan, TX
- Tightwad, MO
- Hot Coffee, MS
- Screamersville, VA
- Dull, OH
- Roaches, IL
- Toad Suck, AR
Can you imagine trying to put a favorable spin on some of these names. How would a real estate developer promote such a place? At the top of Jelico Mountain in Tennessee there is such a development being built and promoted. While I don’t know what name is being given to it I do know that it is located on Stinking Creek Road. How’s that for an address? Got any favorites?
Gnaw Bone, Indiana, just east of Nashville, Indiana. It used to be one long flea market/yard sale. The last few years it seems to be a lot of desperate-to-make-a-buck folks & vacant open shelters. It is on SR 46.
Here’s another: Hell for Certain, KY, including a link for validation purposes:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hell_for_Certain,_Kentucky
BTW, searching on “Starvation Flat” did come up with a place in Arizona:
http://www.satelliteviews.net/cgi-bin/g.cgi?fid=11798&state=AZ&ftype=flat
I also searched on “Dismal Seepage,” not because I was trying to prove Larry wrong, and it seemed only to come up with an imaginary town used in a Vic and Sade radio drama:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vic_and_Sade
Dismal Seepage, IN, to my knowledge, was a made-up town used by one of my ham radio friends.
My guess is that your Ham Radio friend was or had been a listener, at least, of the Vic and Sade radio drama, although, certainly, he could also have made the name up himself, much like one of us might make up the name, Lake Wobegon.
Best one I’ve seen is a little town in Lancaster County, Pa named “Intercourse”.
Right next to my wife’s home town of Zebulon is” Lizard Lick NC” home of Tru TV’s Lizard Lick Towing…..
How about Knockemstiff, Ohio. It is actually on the map. I lived there for 11 months after I was born. Then my mom and dad moved us to good old Greenfield. Most of my family is from Knockemstiff (and surrounding area). My parents were both from there and went to Hunington High School. It’s just a little one horse town where you drive thru and don’t even realize you were in it. When I think about the name I don’t think of anything but knocking the crap out of someone (spoken like a true hillbilly/redneck or at least thinking like one)! Haha.
Rick Shumaker is on the road but ask me to add to the list Big Bone Lick, KY.