Folklore: White Horse? Black Horse?

Subject: Folklore: White Horse? Black Horse?
From: Big Mick
Date: 02 Apr 06 - 09:00 PM

As I travelled the East Coast of the USA, and even more since I live here now, I have noticed a large number of thoroughfares that incorporate either White Horse or Black Horse in their name. For example, on the 9 mile drive to my office I encounter White Horse Pike, White Horse Rd., White Horse Ave, and Black Horse Pike. I notice this all up and down the Jersey Shore, and remember it in the Boston area as well. Anyone know the historical significance of this? Is it a matter of folklore? Any songs or stories about them?

Mick

Subject: RE: Folklore: White Horse? Black Horse?
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 03 Apr 06 - 02:15 AM

If it were the UK I would have said they were named for pubs, which were frequently named for the coat of arms (heraldry) of the local landowner/lord. Examples of this are the Red Lion (Red Lion Square, London) - one of the commonest heraldic beasts, along with the White Hart (White Hart Lane, Tottenham). If your area was settled by people from England, they may well have built an inn in the area or named places for the villages and towns they left. Not everyone who settled in America were Puritan pilgrims or teetotallers.

LTS

Subject: RE: Folklore: White Horse? Black Horse?
From: Paul Burke
Date: 03 Apr 06 - 03:27 AM

Puritans weren't teetotallers. They drank beer for breakfast like everyone else. The water was usually too dangerous.

Subject: RE: Folklore: White Horse? Black Horse?
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 03 Apr 06 - 09:08 AM

I think it's the human tendency to notice intense color more than ordinary colors. Who wants to live on Brown Horse Road?

It explains why red hair and golden hair get more mentions than dishwater blonde (aside from Jeannie with the Light Brown Hair) and why blue eyes and black eyes get more mentions than gray eyes.


Moving on to art, we note that Picasso's Blue Period is famous, but that nobody's sepia period ever gets a mention. And so it goes.