Sunday, July 8, 2012

Keyes Vs. Keys

There are some odd street names in Madison.  Segoe Road, for instance is pronouced See-go.  Some newcomers pronouce it  Seh-gow, I presume because of the spelling.

I recently had a conversation with a woman about Keyes Ave. on the near west side in the West Lawn neighborhood. The street name is pronounced as though the first "e" were an "i" and the "es" at the end were a "z" as in Kih-z.

During our conversation, she mentioned that the new homeowners in the area pronounced the street "Keys".  That made me sad, since the street name has historical significance.  It was named after Elisha William Keyes, who was a Republican politician, postmaster of Madison for many years and Madison Mayor from 1865-67 and again from 1885-86.  He was also a state assemblyman.

Street names with historical significance are plentiful on the near west side.  The streets near Vilas Zoo are named for U.S. Presidents.  In University Heights, street names such as "Summit" and "Prospect" suggested high class as well as geograhy.  Most other streets in University Heights were named in honor of University professors and presidents.

As homes turnover and new families move into neighborhoods, I hope we don't lose the history of the city.  It may only be a street name, but it's also a part of the legacy of Madison. 

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