Trevlac, Indiana is named after a family called Calvert. Since there was already a stop on the same rail line called Calvert, they simply spelled their name backwards. This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “You Might Say Trevlac Is a Backward Town”
Constance Glidden-Joseph wrote us to say that she grew up in Trevlak, Indiana.
Now that’s T-R-E-V-L-A-C.
I’d never heard of Trevlak, Indiana.
Had you?
I haven’t, but I think it’s related to something we’ve talked about on the show before.
Is this name backward?
It is indeed.
Calvert, right?
Yes. Yes. It turns out that Colonel Cecil Calvert and his wife, Lucinda, sold some of their land that was in that area to the Illinois Central Railroad.
And they were hoping to have a train depot built there to attract business.
And they wanted the depot to be called Calvert in their honor.
But it turns out that there was another depot already on the Illinois Central Line that had that name, Calvert.
So, as you said, they just spelled it backwards.
Okay, so they still get recognition and their place in history.
They do.
And Constance grew up there.
Oh, she did.
So for her, this is a hometown story.
Indeed, yes.
She said it was a home of 35 people back then.
Oh, 35.
Yeah.
Okay.
We love the small town stories about how places got their names, how you got your name, how your pets got their names.
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