Date: Mon, 5 Jan 1998 19:36:52 -0500 From: Gerald Cohen Subject: "Mudville" update With Stockton, California (aka Mudville in the 19th century) holding an undisputed lead as the inspiration for Ernest Thayer's "Mudville" in his famous poem "Casey at the Bat," I telephoned the Massachusetts Historical Society (ll54 Boylston St., Boston MA 02205; 6l7-536-l608) to see if a Mudville might also have existed in Massachusetts. The result of the call: thus far no evidence has emerged that a Mudville existed in Massachusetts, although a definitive statement to this effect would require a search of all local sources. The ball now is in the court of whoever may believe that a Mudville did exist in Massachusetts. Where is the source to verify this belief? I am grateful to Jennifer Tolpa (Reference Librarian at the Mass. Hist. Soc.) for checking various sources: 1) _Massachusetts Encyclopedia Geographical, Geological, Historical and Topographical_, by Abraham Paluba. (evidently no date is given) 2) various gazeteers 3) _Historical Data Relating to Counties, Cities and Towns in Massachusetts_, by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 1975 edition. This book lists towns both present and past. 4) a few histories of the state (Ms. Tolpa checked the indexes), e.g. A.B. Hart's _Commonwealth History of Massachusetts_, 5 vols. (NY: Russell & Russell). 1966. None of the above sources mentions a Mudville. Barring any surprises, this message now concludes the search. On 12/19/97 Mr. Smith (Boston Globe) e-mailed me: "Thanks for the often-fascinaing info. Stockton is indeed looking strong...." My only request to Mr. Smith is that he let me know if he writes up anything on Mudville; I would of course want to share it with the ads-l subscribers. --Gerald Cohen gcohen[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]umr.edu