FOR ME, AT LEAST
It's almost a sure thing...
I'll bet you know of a town or city which seems to be unpronounceable - sometimes even for the people who live there.
Staunton, Virginia is such a city.It is not STAUN-ton; it is not STAN-ton, it is not whatever sly twist you try to put on it.
I was born in Norfolk,Va , so I am sensitive to the manner in which people say it. Too often I hear “Narfick” or “”Naw-fick” and some people try to make sound as close to the original concept of the word: “North Folk”...as possible. I lived and worked in Staunton, Virginia long enough to be be irked a bit when people insist on saying it incorrectly, even after they know better.
It was originally, named “Beverley's Mill Place”, which was plain enough. It was on land owned by William Beverley. He got Thomas Lewis to do the surveying and to set aside 44 lots , mostly of one -half acres each, with three north-south, and three east-west streets. All six of which exist today. That was in 1748-49 and it marks the first mention of the name of the town. It was spelled Stanton in those early years. The new city did not get certified until many years later. The colonial officials in eastern Virginia approved the plan which would recognize Stanton as a town and allow them to hold fairs there. The entire application was “disallowed”, however, and declared to be “absolutely void and without.” Exactly why King George II disliked the idea is not clear but it was necessary to wait until a new, more liberal king came to power before asking again to be certified.
The Royal Governor of the Colony of Virginia in 1748 was William Gooch, and it is thought the new town was named after his wife's English family. That name was Staunton and we have no assurance as to the exact spelling of the family name. It was determined , at length, and we do not not know when of by whom, that particular English family name was properly spelled as “Staunton”. Choosing the name of the Royal Governor's wife's was a wise move a when seeking certification. The spelling caused conflict, as the years progressed, but it is not unusual in a country where the name “Wyndom” is spelled “Wymingham” Or, try the name Chumley, if you dare.
Some visitors tend to call the city “Staun-ton” largely because that's the way word is spelled in other areas is pronounced with the prominent “ u ” sound. Others wonder why we mis-spell Stanton, which is they way they are used to seeing it spelled and said in their locale. This use may seem good enough, but the purest among us insist that it is not exact enough. Lady Gooch said her family name with a distinct touch and that is the way the name of the city a named in their honor, should best be said. One is not to say “Stan-ton”.On “ Staun- ton.” It is not, you see, Stan-TON. It is, rather: Stant-ON. Not “ton”, but a soft “ on”. It comes out smoothly with a slight aspiration before the “on” as it is appended to the “stant”.
Well- known, Staunton radio voices of the past said it right. Fulton King, Robert Sterrett and others said it naturally. It came out smoothly as...”WTON, Stant-on.” Today? Some do; some do not, at rest stops I-81 or I-64, and at many area eating establishments , you can expect to hear “STAUGHN-TON!”
The proper name is a pretty one. It has character, softness, elegance, charm, an historical significance. It's a fine name for a community also known as “The Queen City”.
A.L.M. JULY 8, 2003 [c638wds]
