Who is Davis Square named after?

[rethcir.livejournal.com]

Wikipedia doesn't have the answer. Please don't bite my head off if there's a plaque somewhere I haven't read yet.

Comments

[mizufae.livejournal.com]

Davis Farms, i believe. i *think* i learned it from some display in the davis tstop?

Sort of right

[secretlyironic.livejournal.com]

You're sort of right-- it *is* on the display in the T station, but it's named after Person Davis (as Ron notes below).

Re: Sort of right

[mizufae.livejournal.com]

ah well, being sort of right is my normal state in life. :)

who names their kid person?? Is it some bizarro form of Percival? because otherwise it's like naming your cat "cat" or living in a place named Townsville.

Re: Sort of right

[liamstliam.livejournal.com]

Mother's maiden name, probably.

An old tradition in these here pahts.

Re: Sort of right

[cos]

It sounds like a good Puritan name. They used to give people names like "Chastity", "Hopewell", and "Faith" ... hmm, so not all of those names fell entirely out of use :) Person sounds like it's meant to convey humbleness and "one of the people".

[ifotismeni]

zomg

[ron_newman]

This is from Rebekah Gewirtz's December 2006 newsletter:

According to, “Beyond the Neck: The Architecture and Development of Somerville, MA”, most of present-day Davis Square was part of the 10-acre estate of Person Davis (1819-1894). Person Davis, who moved to the area in 1850, was a grain dealer and land owner. In 1883, the Somerville City Council designated the area Davis Square after Davis even though many people had wanted to name it “Middlesex Square” to reflect a more regional market.

[xsemperfidelis.livejournal.com]

Yup. I always thought it was funny that the guy's name was "Person."

[josephineave.livejournal.com]

Actually the quarterback at my high school was named "Mister Person"...

[tigercelly.livejournal.com]

That might just be the oddest and most confusing name, especially for other people.

[josephineave.livejournal.com]

Well, his family added to his misery by nicknaming him "Misty".

Much like the "boy named Sue", he was big and mean.

[tigercelly.livejournal.com]

Well.. I went to school with a football player named Dandy. Upon meeting him, it took people a while to discover this, however, because he went by his middle name, Alex. He was a nice guy and didn't mind being teased cause he was hot, nice, talented.. I made out with him once. Wait, that's not the point. The point was that it was no big deal to him, probably because by college, he'd gotten over it.

His grandmother named him Dandy because she liked dandelions. This is a warning to all of you: Don't name your kids something stupid just because you like said object or name out of context.

wikify

[enochs-fable.livejournal.com]

Sounds like something should be added to Wikipedia!

Re: wikify

[ron_newman]

anyone can do that

Re: wikify

[nowalmart.livejournal.com]

Done. (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Davis_Square&diff=128304354&oldid=123917517)

Re: wikify

[enochs-fable.livejournal.com]

awesome.

[en-ki.livejournal.com]

Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America. If you look carefully, you can find a large equestrian statue of him about 50' in front of JP Licks.

[liamstliam.livejournal.com]

So how many other people thought Ron was gonna be the one to answer this?

[ron_newman]

I think someone else answered it correctly first, but then deleted his or her answer.

[bgum.livejournal.com]

None of this is correct. It was named after some queer guy named Dave. They slightly changed the name so it wouldn't seem offensive.