Wednesday, February 1, 2017

Wednesday Night In @ 150

Page from the Southside Signal, January 23, 1909 - Edgar Allen Poe Feature
So, without making this sound like a history lesson I am going to share with you some interesting leads I have come upon which has provided clues to several of my questions including this one.

Question 1: Why is it called the "Poet Section" of North Babylon?

Henry Livingston Jr.










I've always wondered how towns chose street names. I guess it would be similar to how they choose the names of towns which include the names of founding families of Long Island. Well based on what I discovered from reading the local weekly, Southside Signal which details every waking moment of the hustle and bustle of Babylon Village and the "country" out in North Babylon on the cusp of the industrial revolution, that the very author and publisher of the Southside Signal Henry Livingston was not only a poet but so was his uncle famous poet Henry Livingston, Jr. (October 13, 1748 - February 29, 1828) the uncredited and proposed original author of the poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas", more popularly known (after its first line) as "The Night Before Christmas. It then also clicked as to why it regularly featured other famous poets such as Edgar Allen Poe. Now its not confirmed but I see to have found a reason for why it possibly could be called the "Poet Section". Publisher of weekly newspaper Southside Signal, Henry Livingston definitely has something to do with the poetic influence that still seems to reside here. Not only in the names of the streets but also in the century old trees, the artistic old vibe of charming original homes and even in the wildlife which I have experienced first hand on many occasions. But that will be my next entry...it turns out the land that surrounds our home used to be...

Stay tuned!