Small New York State Hamlet Votes Against Changing Controversial Name

We've talked before about some of the strange town names you'll find here in New York state..Everything from Bath, Horseheads, Big Flats, even Handsome Eddy. But there is one tiny hamlet in the North Country you may have never heard of, that's generated some attention lately. And with its name, you may be surprised this is the first you're hearing of it.

North Country Public Radio tells the story of one New York City adventurer, who was heading up north during the summer of 2020 when he noticed something strange. A tiny hamlet in Clinton County known as Swastika,, New York. Yes, this is a real place. Wikipedia says it's an unincorporated community in the town of Black Brook, which is about 30 miles outside Plattsburgh.

This traveler was apparently taken back, so he reached out to Clinton County in August about potentially changing the name of the hamlet, according to NCPR. The town of Black Brook has jurisdiction over Swastika. and on Monday night, the town’s four councilors voted unanimously against changing the name. Black Brook town supervisor Jon Douglass said:

So basically Swastika was named by the founders of the area who settled there,

He goes on to say the area was named by settlers in the 1800s, which was after the symbol of divinity and spirituality in Indian religions; such as Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. Of course, this all changed during the 1930s in Europe.

This all comes during a very tumultuous year, where statues and monuments of Confederate symbols have been either rename or taken down across the country, especially in areas of the south. Still, Swastika's board members and majority of people want to keep the name as it is, according to Jon Douglass.