We've all felt the pain of mispronouncing the name of a town in front of a local who just has to correct you, but when it comes to a lake in the town of Webster, Massachusetts, everyone is willing to give you a pass for butchering it. After all, there's 45 letters in the name.
Affectionately known as "Lake Webster" to locals who gave up on trying to pronounce the name a long time ago, Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg is considered to have the longest name in the United States, and one of the longest in the whole world. Originally the name was something a bit shorter, Chabanaguncamogue, which translates to "Fishing Place at the Boundary". Of course, white dudes came along and completely screwed everything up.
As white settlers began to reach the area, the native tribes began to refer to the lake by a new name, Chargoggaggoggmanchoggagogg, which means "Englishmen at Manchaug". After a bunch of confusion between different map makers, someone decided to just jam the two names together to form Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg, or "Englishmen at Manchaug at the Fishing Place at the Boundary". Problem solving at its finest.
Unfortunately, the name is now so hard to say that no one can seem to spell it correctly, including sign makers.
Via The New York Times:
"Jane Hill, vice president of the Webster Lake Association, a recently formed group of some 400 lake homeowners, rankled some folks by spelling the C-word on the club's logo, T-shirts and jackets with 49 letters - instead of 45.
'I've tried a few different spellings and every time, someone tells me I spell it wrong,' Ms. Hill said. 'So now I just have the official Jane Hill spelling.'"
Even today, numerous signs pointing to the lake contain spelling errors, but as you might imagine, no one really wastes any time trying to correct them when only the most anal of grammar nazis will notice.
Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg is more than just a place to snag a hilarious town t-shirt. With excellent boating opportunities and clean waters to swim in, the lake offers tourists a great place for summer fun. The swamps around the lake also make for a wonderful place to experience some of Massachussettes' diverse nature, particularly along the Walkabout Trail.
Dundee Science Centre is open 363 days a year, with exhibitions and events for all ages. Their permanent exhibition offers fun and discovery for all, with science shows daily to add to the excitement. They host temporary exhibitions throughout the year, and offer new hands-on activities every school vacation period. Every summer, they put up an exciting new exhibition.
Broughty Castle sits imposingly at the mouth of the River Tay. Built in 1496 on a rocky promontory, it has faced many sieges and battles.
Today, it houses fascinating displays on the life and times of Broughty Ferry, its people, the environment and the wildlife that live close by. The Castle has magnificent views over the river, and is only minutes away from Broughty Ferry Beach and Esplanade. It's a 'must-see' attraction if you're visiting Broughty Ferry, and offers something for everyone, with a changing programme of events, activities and displays.
Situated just 3 miles from Dundee city centre, off Kingsway West (A90), Camperdown Country Park is the largest public park in Dundee.
With the stunning neo-classical Camperdown House as its centre-piece, the park covers an area of over 400 acres, and is home to no fewer than 190 species of trees. One of the most popular parks in Dundee, among locals and visitors alike, Camperdown is open all year round and offers a fantastic range of activities and events.
Designed by the architect William Burn, and built by the Duncan family in 1828, the House was named after the Battle of Camperdown.
It was at this battle that Admiral Adam Duncan, the Dundee-born naval hero, triumphed over the Dutch fleet in 1797. Duncan's victory in the battle saved Britain from invasion.
A hero overnight, Admiral Duncan was made Viscount of Camperdown and awarded a pension of £3000 a year - a fortune in this days. The family used the money to build the house.
The Steeple Church building dates back hundreds of years and is of great historic interest. However, as a congregation, Steeple Church lives very much in the 21st Century, believing that God is still working in and through his people, with Jesus Christ the living centre of their fellowship. Christ's message is of great relevance today and they are pleased to have this chance to share his love with you.
Their services are open to all.
In the late 19th century rapid development was taking place on the East side of the River Usk some way downstream of the existing bridge in the town centre and the local authority identified a need for a river crossing to transport workers to the then new Lysaghts steelworks in particular.
The site was a difficult one because of the very high tidal range and the need to maintain access for high-masted ships .Various alternatives were suggested including a conventional bridge, a lifting bridge and a tunnel. To achieve the necessary height the approaches to a conventional or even lifting bridge would have had to be extremely long and a tunnel was considered too expensive.
Mr R H Haynes was the Borough Engineer at the time and had heard of the work of Ferdinand Arnodin who had designed an 'Aerial Ferry'. This consisted of two high towers supporting a 'railway track' from which is suspended a platform or 'gondola' on which passengers or vehicles ride. Such a design would overcome the difficulties outlined above and the councillors, after inspecting such a bridge at Rouen in France, decided to build one in Newport.
Parliamentary approval was obtained in 1900, construction started in 1902 and was completed by 12 September 1906 when the new bridge was opened by Viscount Tredegar.
The venue has a 493-capacity theatre and presents a mix of comedy, opera, dance, music and drama. The Studio, seating 128, hosts a more challenging performance and film programme. The three workshop spaces host a range of art classes and workshops including ceramics and life drawing. The Dance Studio hosts a variety of dance and theatre classes and workshops including salsa, breakdancing, circus skills and youth theatre. The Recording Studio is hired externally and used for rock & pop and dj-ing workshops.
Every year since opening, The Riverfront has also had successful Christmas and New Year periods hosting traditional pantomimes with well-known faces within the cast, including Brian Hibbard, Gillian Elisa and Ieuan Rhys. Britain's Got Talent semi-finalist Mark James performed throughout the Christmas period as Jack Trott in Jack and the Beanstalk 2007 and Aladdin 2010.
Newport has a rich cultural past and the museum’s permanent displays aim to reflect this. Explore prehistoric and roman Newport in the main gallery on the 1st floor where you can also find out about medieval life and the Newport Ship.
Discover Chartism and its legacy, learn about the city’s industrial heritage and follow the development of Newport into the 20th Century. The wildlife displays showcase a range of animals you may find in your home and garden.
Visit the Museum’s balcony to explore the area’s geological past and find out more about the forces determining our weather. The balcony is also the home of the Discovery Zone and two exhibition spaces featuring temporary exhibitions.
The impressive 3rd floor art gallery is a space where you can view contemporary art and explore Newport’s permanent art collections.
Newport Market offers the finest fresh produce with award winning butchers, the city centre’s only fishmongers, fresh fruit and vegetables, bakeries, clothing, gifts, cards and more.
Newport Market has been central to Newport life for nearly 150 years. The earliest part of the market dates back to 1864, when it was built to replace the existing market building which was inadequately sized to cope with the growth of trade in the (then) town. At this time the Market was owned by The Duke of Beaufort who eventually sold it to Newport Corporation in 1885.
A new Market was built at a cost of £42,000 with a barrel-vaulted roof (which still stands today) and the Upper Dock Street entrance with its famous tower. This was opened in May 1899. How the Market stood then is more or less how we see it today, aside from the central section of the upper floor which was erected in the early 1930’s.
In the late 70’s and early 80’s the Market underwent extensive work which cost Newport Council half a million pounds. Repainted with new lighting and a much needed overhead heating system, the Market was brought up to date and reopened in 1980 by the Mayor at that time, Councillor G Mathias.
The early part of the 21st Century saw the upper floor of the Market and the offices which it houses undergo extensive refurbished. As part of the refurbishment, an artist was commissioned to design and create a window for the first floor. Catrin Jones’s design is colourful and adds to the vibrant atmosphere of the market.
Newport Civic Centre is the seat of government for the city of Newport, South Wales and is a Grade II* Listed building in the Art Deco style. Newport City Council has its main offices located in the building which also includes a Crown Court complex. The Mayor's office is located in the Civic Centre.
The base of the completed clock tower contains a collection of 12 murals by the German artist Hans Feibusch. The murals were commissioned in the 1960s and completed in 1964. They depict the history of the City from Celtic times to the building of the George Street Bridge over the River Usk. In recent years, conservation work has been necessary with specialist photographers recording the works prior to detailed restoration work being undertaken.