"When The Street Only Knew Your Name"

If you've lived in Grandview Heights long enough, you've probably heard the theories...

From the "Farmer's Daughters" to the wives (or girlfriends) of the workers who built the homes, many have wondered who (or what) inspired the name behind each of Grandview Height's tree-lined streets. While we may never know precisely what inspired S.R. Slaymaker 100 years ago, modern research (i.e. digitized genealogical records and personal collections) has allowed us a new opportunity to discover the stories behind the boulevards, avenues, and roads of our neighborhood.

Generally speaking, the street names fall into one of two categories:

The First Category:

A Nod to the McGrann Family

Streets that allude to or outright memorialize Grandview's historic beginnings

Grandview Boulevard

Was named in honor of "Grand View", the McGrann Family Homestead that was known far and wide in both the United States and Europe

McGrann Boulevard

Was named in honor of the McGrann Family, descendants of whom reside in Lancaster to this very day

Fountain Avenue

Was named for the 10-foot-wide fountains located on either side of the avenue while it was still a part of "Grand View" Farm

The Second Category:

For Slaymakers Past, Present and Future

Streets named in honor of multiple generations of Slaymaker Women (and their Attorney)

Cameron Avenue

Was named after S.R. Slaymaker's mother, Jane Elizabeth Cameron Redsecker

Helen Avenue

Was named after S.R. Slaymaker's eldest daughter, Helen Elizabeth Slaymaker

Janet Avenue

Was named after S.R. Slaymaker's youngest daughter, Jane Cameron Slaymaker

Martha Avenue

Was named after S.R. Slaymaker's daughter-in-law, Martha Ann Fletcher

Louise Avenue

Was named after S.R. Slaymaker's wife Minnie Louise Cohr (and may very well have been in celebration of his newly born granddaughter, Ann Louise Slaymaker, born in 1925)

Coyle Avenue

While a bit of an outlier, it was named after the Slaymaker's long-time family attorney, John A. Coyle Esq.

What about Pleasure Road?

“We must go on, because we can't turn back.”

While it's certainly possible "Pleasure" is simply referential to the long and winding road that was laid out so many years ago, hawk-eyed readers of these Grandview history pages may find it interesting that Pleasure makes two very distinct bends to pass directly by the tree under which the Dutch Gold was allegedly found in 1845.

Coincidental? Maybe. However the really interesting piece is that Pleasure continues on to intersect with Tusitala Drive - a name seldom mentioned in discussions on the origins of Grandview Heights streets.

Tusitala, I've come to learn, was the nickname given to none other than Robert Louis Stevenson by the Samoan People. It means "Teller of Tales"... and in 1883 he published what was arguably his most well-known tale, Treasure Island.

We know that McGrann's story of buried treasure was captivating enough to be front page news in 1928 - and certainly inspired many Lancastrians in its day, likely including S.R. Slaymaker, who undoubtedly read or was at least aware of both the story and novel. (He was 17 years old when Treasure Island was published)

Now I realize I'm taking some liberties here, but ultimately what struck me in the middle of a Spring night was that Pleasure Road may not have originally been named Pleasure at all, but rather Treasure Road.

... and as Tusitala completes its connection back to Pleasure via Crest Lane, could it really have been Chest Lane (giving us Treasure Chest) until Slaymaker (or his associates) thought the better of it?

Or perhaps the connection was veiled just enough so that only someone digging into these records would make their own discovery, if you will. Who's to say?

Regardless - I know which version I choose to believe.

I thank you for your time. I hope you've enjoyed the journey as much as I have.

-C. Cook