Date: Tue, 6 Jan 1998 10:03:25 -0500 From: "Frank R. Abate" Subject: "Mudville" update My check of evidence at hand shows the following: Mudville "locale" or "populated place" is in: TN, LA, TX per Omni Gazetteer Index (not historical, but quite complete for current names, esp. of populated places) There is no listing for Mudville at all in the 1876 "Monitor Guide to Pos= t Offices and RR Stations in the US and Canada" (publ. by Bullinger, 1876).= Also no listing for Mudville in the Street Directory of the Principal Cities of the US Embracing Letter-Carrier Offices Established to April 30= , 1908 (publ. by Postmaster-General, Washington; repub. by Gale), though th= is is truly only covering principal cities (about 1,200 places). Comment: Since "Mudville" had to fit the meter, and it is a somewhat les= s than positive name, it's my guess that it was made up for the poem. Frank Abate