Opening from On This Site - Native Long Island

Mattock (North Sea Swamp)

Mattock is connected with a swamp near North Sea in Southampton. The name appears in eighteenth-century local records and may preserve either a description of swampy land or a personal name. The placename belongs to the North Sea landscape of Southampton, where lots, meadow, and swamp edges were described in local land materials. The adjoining land was also described as showing evidence of earlier Native habitation. One possible interpretation is bad land, a fitting description for swamp ground. Another possibility is that the swamp was named for a Native person who formerly lived nearby. Why Place Names Matter “Place names help us get around by providing an official reference for maps, and they also hold cultural information about the people who live there.” — Geographical Names Board of Canada, The Geographical Names Board of Canada Celebrates 125 Years (2022), video...