>> TO SEE MOUNT WASHINGTON, DON’T GO HERE.
>> PEOPLE ASK WHERE THE REAL WAY IS, AND WE TELL THEM IT IS ABOUT FOUR AWAY.
>> HUH?
FOR THE SOUTH WOULD EXUDE, DON’T DRIVE TO SOUTHWICK.
>> YOU SHOULD SEE THE LOOK ON THEIR FACE WHEN WE TELL THEM THEY MISSED IT ABOUT AN HOUR BACK.
>> NAVIGATING THE BAY STATE BY COMPASS, FORGET ABOUT IT.
>> SOUTHBOROUGH IS TO THE EAST AND WESTBOROUGH SOUTH.
>> AND REALLY?
MANCHESTER BY THE SEA?
>> SOUNDS A LITTLE SNOBBY.
>> I SAY I LIVE BY THE TIPS.
>> THE MADDENING MIXED UP NAME GAME OF MASSACHUSETTS.
>> CHAOS.
>> OUR STATE OF CONFUSION, NEXT.
THIS IS "CHRONICLE" ON WCVB CHANNEL 5.
>> GOOD EVENING.
WE ARE DIVING INTO ALL THINGS MASSACHUSETTS THIS WEEK, AND WE GOT TO THINKING ABOUT COMMONWEALTH’S EARLIEST RESIDENCE AND WHAT THEY WERE THINKING WHEN THEY NAMED OUR 350
ONE CITIES AND TOWNS.
TED REINSTEIN’S INQUIRING MIND WANTS ANSWERS.
♪ >> FOR A REALLY CONVENIENT SKIING, IF N BIG MOUNTAIN, IT IS HARD TO BEAT LITTLE NASHOBA VALLEY, RIGHT OUTSIDE BOSTON, IN THE TOWN O WESTFIELD, OR IS
THAT WESTBERG, WESTBOROUGH?
WHITES EVER HERE SOMETHING IS IN WILLIAMSBURG, MASSACHUSETTS, AND THINK THAT CUTE COLLEGE TOWN WITH A GREAT MUSEUM?
WRON YOU ARE THINKING OF WILLIAMSTOWN.
>> SHOOTS PERRY, SURE, WHERE THAT CRAZY DISCOUNT STORE USED TO BE.
WRONG AGAIN.
YOU’RE THINKING OF SHREWSBURY OUR STATE IS FILLED WITH TOWNS THAT HAVE DIABOLICALLY SIMILAR SOUNDING NAMES.
FOX FOR FOXBORO.
AND IS IT NORWOOD OR NORWELL LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, I THINK IT IS PRETTY CLEAR THAT WHAT WE’RE LIVING IN HERE IS A STATE OF CONFUSION.
♪ SO BACK TO MATTERS OF PERSONAL TASTE, WILLIAMSTOWN’S CLARK INSTITUTE OF ART MAY BE FAMOUS FOR ITS RENOIRS, BUT ONLY WILLIAMSBURG HAS THE RAPPLE.
>> IT IS A WRAPPED APPLE.
CLEVER?
DAVID OF THE WILLIAMSBURG GENERAL STORE A FE WHILE -- MILES LEFT OF NORTHAMPTON.
>> NOT WILLIAMSTOWN.
>> PURVEYORS OF CLASSIC GENERAL STORE ITEMS AND THE POPULAR APPLE TREATS, THE FOLKS AT THE WILLIAMSBURG GENERAL STORE SPENT TIME TELLING CONFUSED TRAVELERS WHERE THEY ARE NOT.
>> IT HONESTLY DOES HAPPEN MORE OFTEN THEN YOU CAN BELIEV WE HAVE PEOPLE ASKING WHERE THE CLARK MUSEUM IS.
WE EXPLAINED, IT IS AN HOUR AND 15 MINUTES NORTHWEST OF HERE.
>> BUT SOME WHO FIND THEIR WAY TO THIS HANDSOME LITTLE TOWN ON ROUTE NINE ARE COUPLE LITTLE CENTURIES, OF COURSE.
SOME CONFUSION WITH THE OTHER WILLIAMSBURG IN VIRGINIA.
HONEST.
PEOPLE FROM THE WEST COAST -- THIS IS ALL ONE PLACE OUT HERE, SO THEY COME AND LOOK AROUND A LITTLE WHILE AND THEN THEY ASKED, WHERE IS THAT HISTORIC DISTRICT WE HAVE HEARD ABOUT,
AND WE EXPLAINED, ABOUT 1000 MILES SOUTH OF HERE.
[LAUGHS] >> LET’S TRAVEL NOW DOWN TO THE CAPE WHERE TOWNS ARE NOT ALWAYS WHAT THEY SEEM.
EXAMPLE, IF WE WERE ASKED WHICH TOWN ON CAPE COD IS BIGGEST, YOU MIGHT SAY HYANNIS.
WHICH IS SORT OF TRUE BUT NOT REALLY.
AND WHAT ABOUT THE TOWN THAT FEATURES THE CLASSIC FOUR SEAS ICE CREAM STAN THOSE WHO KNOW MIGHT SAY CENTERVILLE.
WHICH IS ALSO KIND OF TRUE BUT NOT REALLY.
HYANNIS AND CENTERVILLE ARE NOT TOWNS.
THEY’RE ACTUALLY VILLAGES IN THE TOWN OF BARNSTABLE.
TWO OF SEVEN, ON WITH OSTERVILLE, MARSTON MILLS, AND WEST BARNSTABLE.
LET’S TRY TO REGAIN OUR BEARINGS A BIT.
TURNING NOW TO THE FOUR CARDINAL POINTS OF A COMPASS, SIMPLE, RIGHT?
NORTH, SOUTH, EAST, AND WEST.
IN MASSACHUSETTS, IT IS A BIT MORE COMPLICATED.
TAKE THA BEWILDERINGLY CLUSTER OF BURROS, WHERE SOUTHBOROUGH IS TO THE EAST AND WESTBOROUGH SOUTH.
AND IF YOU’RE LOOKING SOMEWHERE IN THE CENTAL FROM MIDDLEBORO, YOU ARE WAY OFF.
>> I REALLY DO NOT KNOW THE REASON WHY NORTHBORO SOUTHBORO, WESTBORO IS WHERE THEY ARE, BECAUSE THIS IS THE MIDDLE, HERE.
>> ACCORDING TO DOUG VANTRAN OF THE MIDDLEBOROUGH HISTORICAL SOCIETY, MIDDLEBORO WAS HERE FIRST.
>> IT WAS HALFWAY BETWEEN THE ENGLISH COLONY OF PLYMOUT AND THE PAWTUCKET CHIEFTAINS VILLAGE AROUND BRISTOL, RHODE ISLAND.
>> MIDDLEBOR IS THE SECOND LARGEST MUNICIPALITY IN THE STATE AREA WISE AFTER PLYMOUTH, BUT LOCAL PRIDE EXTENDS FAR BEYOND MERE LOCAL BORDERS.
IT IS A GREAT LITTLE TOWN.
IT IS THE MIDDLE OF THE UNIVERSE AS FAR AS WE ARE CONCERNED.
NOW FOR ALL YOU PURISTS OUT THERE, WE DO KNOW THAT THE PREFERRED SPELLING FOR THE BEWILDERING BOROUGH TOWNS ENDS WITH THE LETTERS -OUGH, BUT THINK ABOUT THE WORK FOR THE
MAPMAKER, IT WOULD BE SQUEEZING A LOT OF LETTERS ON A SMALL MAP