Swastika, New York

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Swastika is an unincorporated community and hamlet in the town of Black Brook, Clinton County, New York, United States. [1] The community is 19 miles southwest of Plattsburgh. The area is not very populated and appears as a wide spot on the road with a few buildings. [2]

History

The name dates back to at least 1913, when a post office called Swastika, NY operated from 1913 until 1958. [3] [4] Edward Duprey, the town's last postmaster, told the Plattsburgh Press-Republican that the community was previously known as Goodrich Mills. "The government sent a list of names," he explained of Swastika's origin. "It had nothing to do with the community. It was just a name for the post office", he added. [5]

In September 2020, the town's councilors unanimously voted to keep the name Swastika after a New York City resident petitioned the town's council which, according to Black Brook, New York Supervisor Jon Douglass, "was named by the town’s original settlers in the 1800s and is based off the Sanskrit word meaning well-being”. [6] [7] He noted "the four-sided geometric character that represents the Swastika has been used for thousands of years in Indian religions and seen as a symbol of good luck", despite the word's modern associations. [8] The request to change the name had been previously brought up during meetings, including once right after WWII. [4]

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References

  1. ↑ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Swastika, New York
  2. ↑ "Tiny New York Hamlet of Swastika Votes to Keep Its Name, Saying It Has Nothing to Do With Nazism". Inside Edition . September 24, 2020. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  3. ↑ "Clinton County". Jim Forte Postal History. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
  4. 1 2 "A Case of Mistaken Identity". Harper's Magazine . December 2020.
  5. ↑ Plattsburgh Press-Republican, August 9, 1977, p. 3.
  6. ↑ Romine, Taylor (September 23, 2020). "The New York town of Swastika votes to keep its name". CNN .
  7. ↑ Sigler, Gall (June 22, 2023). "It's not just Swastika Lake — the U.S. is full of sites named for swastikas". The Forward . Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  8. ↑ Ritchey, Julia (September 24, 2020). "Swastika, New York, Is Keeping Its Name". NPR .

44°30′47″N73°45′39″W / 44.51306°N 73.76083°W / 44.51306; -73.76083


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