The origins of Shingleville
Oct 10th, 2008 by Paul Leighton
A couple of commenters on this story in today’s Salem News said they’d never heard of Shingleville. One of them wondered if it’s a new “yuppy phrase” for the neighborhood. Actually, the name refers to the houses across McKay Street that were built for United Shoe workers. I don’t think it’s a phrase coined by yuppies. My father, who grew up in Beverly and worked at The Shoe, always called it Shingleville.
2 Comments to “The origins of Shingleville”
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1John Burke said:
I wonder if the readers who questioned the naming of Shingleville thought it sounded like Centervile, which has newer homes occupied by many young, urban, professionals.
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2Sunshine said:
Shingleville is indeed an older name that perhaps was lost for a bit, but is definitely a source of pride in the neighborhood now. This year, we’re celebrating the second annual Shingleville Halloween Parade and are sooo happy to have such a great bunch of folks living in Shingleville. Haing been here only 5 years, I see our neighborhood as a great mix of new, young families and older retired folks. A lot of multi-generational families here, too.
W.r.t. the article, I think it may be important to add that due to the East/West orientation of Elliott, it is not only dangerous due to the heavy traffic, but the sun-glare. As an adult pedestrian, even using the walk light between Echo and McKay (and with a large brightly colored baby stroller) drivers can’t “see” us in the morning and in the evening with the sun. Adding to that, I notice this walk light has frequently been out of service, flashing yellow for drivers, who never seem to take the time to stop and let us pass. (Don’t even get me started on all the creative ways people try to exit the White Hen parking area.)
