This is kinda lengthy, but lots of good history. I was just wondering were the photo was taken at in Loudon? The Name Loudon or Loudoun? East Tennessee has several locations with names that include some variation of the words Loudoun or Loudon. Several viewers want to know why these locations are spelled differently. Are they named after the same person or place? What is the difference between Loudoun and Loudon? Historic Fort Loudoun The first appearance of the name in East Tennessee was at the British military outpost Fort Loudoun in Monroe County in 1756. The governor of South Carolina named the fort after John Campbell, the 4th Earl of Loudoun. Fort Loudoun was built during the time of the French and Indian War. It is a little episode of history thats often overlooked, but set the stage for the American Revolution, said Jeff Wells, park manager at the Fort Loudoun State Historic Area. The fort that was seized by the Cherokee in 1760, but one question keeps coming up. People want to know which way is the correct way of spelling Loudoun. Of course we all know that is with the u in the second syllable, said Wells with a smile. As for nearby Loudon County and the City of Loudon, Wells said, Im sure they feel that their spelling of the name is correct, but in fact it is not. Since Loudon County and the City of Loudon were named after the fort, Wells points to the man the fort was named in honor of as a sure-fire spell checker. The fort was named for John Campbell, the Earl of Loudoun. He was a very important man in 1756. He was the commander in chief of all British troops operating in North America. He turned out to not be the best man for the job and was replaced the following year in 1757. He had several things named after him, including this fort in Monroe County, said Wells. Documents with Campbells signature clearly show that he spelled the name Loudoun. Yet, almost as quickly as the Earl of Loudoun lost his job in North America, his name started to lose the second u. As early as 1762, Lieutenant Henry Timberlake drew a very detailed map of the little Tennessee Valley. He very clearly has written Loudon. That is the earliest misspelling that I have seen in print. It is a very common mistake that has been repeated for 250 years, said Wells. Loudon County and City The spelling of Loudon was repeated in 1870 when residents changed the newly formed Christiana Countys name to Loudon County. The county was named in honor of the nearby colonial Fort Loudoun. The City of Loudon kept the shorter spelling when it incorporated in the 1920s. The misspelling of Loudoun is so common that two markers placed by historical societies at the site of the fort in Monroe County spell the name Loudon. The Historical Society for the Colonial Dames of America placed this stone marker at the site of the old fort in 1917 with the hope that it would generate interest in the site and potentially lead to someone rebuilding it. That eventually became a reality, but for all of their well intentions they did manage to misspell it Fort Loudon on the marker, said Wells. The standard pewter plaque placed throughout Tennessee at historic sites by the Tennessee Historical Commission also mistakenly drops the second u to spell Fort Loudon at the entrance to the state park. The marker is directly beside the large wooden sign that reads Fort Loudoun State Historic Area.
Posted on: Sat, 05 Apr 2014 02:37:48 +0000
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