Even the most ordinary-looking street signs carry real local history.
Roads like 3 Bs and K Road, Hogback Road, and Vans Valley Road might sound random, but most trace back to real townships, farms, and 19th-century settlers, according to Delaware Source's research into county historical records.
Take a drive through Delaware County and you'll pass plenty of road names that make you wonder who actually came up with them. A Delaware Source reader asked exactly that question through the outlet's community-driven Open Source platform, and the answer turned out to be genuinely interesting local history. Here's what Delaware Source found.
What's the Story Behind 3 Bs and K Road?
It's named for the four townships it passes through: Berlin, Berkshire, Brown, and Kingston. It's a genuinely literal naming convention once you know what the letters stand for, if a somewhat anticlimactic answer to a question that sounds like it should have a stranger story behind it.
Nearby in Brown Township sits Hogback Road, which has a more genuinely ambiguous origin. Preservation Parks operates Hogback Ridge Park along the road, named for Mary McCoy, who bought the property with her husband in the 1960s and built a ranch-style home overlooking Slate Lick Creek. A 1998 Delaware Gazette article described McCoy's lifelong interest in feeding and caring for animals, and after her death that year, she left 32 acres to the park district, which later named its nature center in her honor. Separately, a "hogback" is also a real geological formation, a narrow ridge with a steep face on one side and a gradual slope on the other, found around the world and even on Mars according to the University of Colorado Boulder. Whether the road is named for McCoy's animals or the nearby ridge's shape remains genuinely unresolved.
Why Is Little Street Called That If It's Not Actually Little?
It's not about size at all, it's named for a person. Little Street, a roughly 0.1-mile road in downtown Delaware, is named for William Little, a local merchant who built what's now the Arts Castle for his daughter after she married. The road's modest length has nothing to do with its name, a genuinely easy mix-up for anyone encountering the street for the first time.
Merrick Boulevard has a similarly personal origin, named after Dr. Frederick Merrick, Ohio Wesleyan University's president from 1860 to 1873, whose name also appears on the university's Merrick Hall. A biographical memoir published after Merrick's death in 1894 described him in glowing terms as the community's most useful citizen, reflecting just how significant his local legacy was considered at the time.
What About Cheshire Road and the War of 1812 Connection?
Cheshire Road takes its name from Fort Cheshire, an early Delaware County settlement in what's now Brown Township. A two-story blockhouse stood there from roughly 1812 to 1820, one of four built in the county specifically to protect residents during the years surrounding the War of 1812, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. The blockhouse's upper floor actually hung over the lower floor, a design that let defenders drop boiling water on attackers and prevent the structure from being set on fire from ground level. After the war ended, the building's purpose shifted entirely, serving as a school and later as a meeting place for a local Baptist congregation.
Do Other Delaware County Roads Have Similar Farm and Family Origins?
Many do. Hyphenated road names like Hills-Miller and Bean-Oller often reflect farms that existed along those specific routes. Steitz Road and Pollock Road both trace back to local farms that raised Percheron draft horses, the powerful breed commonly used to pull stagecoaches during an era when Delaware County was a genuine hub for that mode of travel. Hyatts Road takes its name from Hyattsville, a former railroad town that's now largely a remnant, with the pond at today's Swan Lake event center once serving as the water source for steam trains refueling at Hyatts Station.
Vans Valley Road in Sunbury honors Gilbert Van Dorn, who opened Trenton Township's first tavern in 1817, with the surrounding community growing up around his establishment and taking his name. And in East Delaware, Flax Street gets its name from an 1800s flax mill that now serves as the community clubhouse for the Mill on Flax apartment community, while nearby Lake Street is named for Greenwood Lake, a popular historic resort whose lake was eventually drained and redeveloped into housing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do the letters in 3 Bs and K Road actually stand for?
The name refers to the four townships the road passes through: Berlin, Berkshire, Brown, and Kingston.
Why is Little Street in Delaware so short, and is that why it's named Little?
No, the name isn't about its size. Little Street is named for William Little, a local merchant who built what's now the Arts Castle for his daughter.
Is Hogback Road named after a person or a geological formation?
It's genuinely unclear. It may be named for Mary McCoy, who raised animals on the property before leaving it to Preservation Parks, or for a nearby geological formation called a hogback, or possibly both.
What historical event is Cheshire Road connected to?
Cheshire Road is named for Fort Cheshire, a War of 1812-era settlement that featured a defensive blockhouse used to protect residents from roughly 1812 to 1820.
Who was Vans Valley Road in Sunbury named after?
Gilbert Van Dorn, who opened Trenton Township's first tavern in 1817, with the surrounding community of Vans Valley growing up around his establishment.
If a road's story like this makes you curious about the deeper history behind a specific Delaware County neighborhood you're considering, I'm always happy to talk through what else makes a particular area worth knowing about.
This content is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or financial advice. Facts in this post are sourced from Delaware Source's September 11, 2026 reporting, linked above. All real estate services are provided in compliance with Fair Housing laws, RESPA, TCPA, the REALTOR® Code of Ethics, and Ohio Real Estate Commission advertising regulations. Equal Housing Opportunity. Chrisi Hagan, Collins Lassiter Group, Red 1 Realty.
