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Why “ Ludlow?”

 

By: Kevin B. Ryan D., Sean F., Kirsten N., Vicktoriya S.

 

How do you think Ludlow got its name?
Do you think it was named after a person?

 

Letter from the mayor of Ludlow, England to the town of Ludlowto th

Letter from mayor of Ludlow, England

Click to enlarge

A History of Ludlow, 1974

Our group is wondering how Ludlow got its name. Ludlow was originally called Stony Hill when it was a part of Springfield, but was also known as “Mineachogue,” “The Outward Commons,” and the “Cow Pasture.” There are many different possible explanations how Ludlow got its name. One explanation that it could possibly be is that it was named after an early New England citizen named Roger Ludlow. Another explanation is that it might be a Saxon word that means “low” or “hlaw,” which means a hill. The word Ludlow may mean “the grave” or “burial hill” of the people.

No one fully knows why they named the town Ludlow. We examined a letter written in 1874 to Alfred Noon from John Adney, the mayor of Ludlow, England. Alfred Noon wrote a history of Ludlow in 1874 and was researching how Ludlow got its name. He thought maybe it was named after Ludlow, England. He never got a reasonable answer of Ludlow’s name. It still remains a mystery!