Paris, Tightwad, and Peculiar: Missouri Place Names

July 18, 2019 Posted by: Tom Dewey, Librarian

Paris, Tightwad, and Peculiar: Missouri Place Names, by Margot Ford McMillen. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1994.

Paris, Tightwad, Peculiar, Neosho, Gasconade, Hannibal, Diamond, Quarantine, Zif, and Zig. These are just a few of the names Margot Ford McMillen covers in her lively book on the history of place names in Missouri. The origins behind the names range from humorous to descriptive. Many places are named for people or wildlife found nearby, while others are backed up by legend or simply picked from thin air. 

The author explains, “Not everyone agrees on all the details of each place name. In fact, people around Ink, Missouri have several explanations of the name. One person said the postmaster named the town just after receiving a shipment of goods that had been spoiled by a broken bottle of ink. Another said that the postmaster wrote down all the three-letter words he could think of and sent the list to Washington D.C. The Post Office Department chose the name from his list. Which story is right? You can take your pick.”

The author further explains that people who wanted to bring a post office to the community often
named many small towns. In 1886, the Post Office Department in Washington, D.C., asked that new
town names be short. They suggested just three letters. McMillen says that is why there are so many
Missouri towns with short names. Towns like Map, Nip, and Not were all approved in 1886.

The author states that in place-name stories, time sometimes rewrites history. There are at least two
stories about the name of one of the most peculiar town names- Peculiar, in Cass County. The earlier
story, recorded in 1929, say that settlers were looking for a farm. Coming over a hill, their leader
exclaimed, “That’s Peculiar! It is the very place I saw in a vision in Connecticut.” They bought the farm and built a town, naming it Peculiar.

Another version of the story says that a local postmaster was tired from all the rejections he was
receiving for the many suggested names he had sent. He asked the Post Office Department for help. He was told to try something new or “peculiar.”

The author offers a good history of the state while sharing stories about the place names. Anyone
interested in Missouri history and folklore will be fascinated by this well-researched book.