Just a Riff on Place Names

Imagine my surprise when I learned that the Hancock in Hancock Place wasn’t Founding Father (and noted smuggler, rabble rouser, and black-marketeer) John, but Winfield Scott, the Civil War General who was the beneficiary of the ill-fated charge at Gettysburg from his former best friend, General George Pickett of the CSA. (Modern conspiracy buffs would no doubt suggest, and have the “fact” go viral via social media, that the fix was in and Pickett didn’t really die but lived out his life comfortably in Iowa or somewhere.)

But I digress. So the namesake of the School District of Hancock Place was General Winfield Scott Hancock, apparently the only person of note to come from the area, or at least have an interest in education, because the subsequent elementary schools were named, 1, 2, and 3 (surpassing Dr. Seuss's Thing 1 and Thing 2 by 50%), and thus ensuring that the Hancock name wouldn’t be overshadowed by some Johnny-Come-Lately.

Not to be outdone, the junior high was named, yes, Junior High and, when it came into being in the mid-20's, the high school was named, wait for it, High School. All to honor a guy who ran for president — and lost. Following tradition, when the three elementary schools were merged at the old Mt. St. Rose Hospital/Sanitarium in the 80’s, it was christened, naturally, Hancock Elementary.

You may wonder where the “Place” came from in Hancock Place, how a district populated with salt-of-the-earth families ended up with such a snooty name. General Hancock donated the site of the original school, on Military, and, as schools were wont to do at the time, it became kind of the center of the community. Hancock was a celebrity (even if he didn’t run for President as a Missouri favorite son), so, when people asked for directions to the school, they were told it was down by the old Hancock Place. Ta-dah!

(Oh, and according to my father, Mehlville had nothing to do with the author, which makes sense because they are spelled differently, and should be pronouced Mail-ville, he having been friends with progeny of the Mehl family. Without contradicting him I did suggest that this might an instance of where being right didn’t keep people from looking at you funny.)

Thanks. I’m here all week. Tell your friends.