Wheeler Point, Mill and Annisquam Rivers, circa 1950 Don Felt/ ©Fredrik D. Bodin
You say Wheeler, I say Wheelers;
You say Wonson, and I say Wonsons;
Let’s get the whole thing right…
My friend Cliff McCarthy and I disagreed on whether it’s Wheeler Point or Wheelers Point. We based our opinions on what we’ve heard people say and maps we’ve looked at. Who’s right? The United States Board of Geographic Names (US BGN) is right – they define the official names of everything geographic. Their database holds the Federally recognized name of every feature’s location by state, with USGS topographic map, geographic coordinates, altitude, and even includes undersea features. This is the gold standard for place names. In the American West after the Civil War, rapid westward expansion led to confusing names for geographic features. This was a serious problem for surveyors, map makers, and the military. In 1890, President Harrison created the US BGN to standardize geographic names.
The final word on Wheeler(s) Point and Wonson(s) Cove is here: http://geonames.usgs.gov/domestic/index.html Click on Search Domestic Names, type in what you’re looking for in the Feature Name box, select the State, select the County, then press the Send Query button. You’ll see that Wheeler Point is correct (with Wheelers Point as a variant name))and so is Wonson Cove (with Wonson’s Cove as a variant name). Cliff, you were right!
Here are some interesting official names on Cape Ann: Cressy Beach (with Cressys Beach as a variant name), Dog Bar (an underwater bar), Dog Bar Breakwater (a dam) , Dog Bar Channel, and Dogtown Common ( listed as a Populated Place with an elevation of 79 feet). Some places we know are not listed, such as Cripple Cove. The US BGN invites any person or organization to propose new names, name changes, or names that are in conflict.
Fred
Printed from the original 4×5 inch film negative in my darkroom. Image # A9245-546
Fredrik D. Bodin
Bodin Historic Photo
82 Main Street
Gloucester, MA 01930
Like us on Facebook- http://www.facebook.com/BodinHistoricPhoto
Good Morning Gloucester 
What a killer tool! I always thought of the Wonsons Cove reference in the possessive – Wonson’s Cove. Given the history the landing there Wonson’s Cove makes sense. Same story with Brace and Brace’s Cove, turns out that Brace Cove is the correct usage!
LikeLike
Interesting. There are a lot of these ambiguous names. For example, Brace Cove is what is current. But the nineteenth century maps and Fitz H. Lane called it Brace’s Cove, so what are we to think? jf
LikeLike
A definitive decision had to be made, based on all facts and comments available, what the “official” name should be for all federal maps and other publications. Local names that work for us are fine. But for the rest of the world, there should be one name for a geographical feature.
LikeLike
Least we forget, is it Smith Cove or Smiths Cove?
LikeLike
According to the United States Board of Geographic Names, it’s Smith Cove, with the variant name Smith’s Cove.
LikeLike
Cool info. Thanks for sharing!
LikeLike