The other day when I wrote about the upcoming dedication of the Waverley Trail, I originally spelled “Waverley” as “Waverly.”  Not long after, in the comments, Brian Del Vecchio pointed out that he thought the spelling was actually “Waverley.”

At first, I was a little embarrassed because I was pretty sure that I had always spelled it “Waverly,” what I’ll call “the short spelling.”

So, I checked online and found that Google Maps thinks the official spelling is “Waverley,” what I’ll call “the long spelling.”  I checked with the MBTA, and the 73 bus is called the “Waverley Square - Harvard Square.”

Oh well.  I decided I had lost a brain cell somewhere and just went back and changed the post to use the long spelling.

But still!

Having grown up in Waverley Square, I found it hard to believe that I had been spelling it incorrectly all my life.  Before I went back and updated the post, I was going to make an argument that people in Waverley Square actually do spell it “Waverly!”

I did find a few people listing their address as “Waverly.”  It actually has its own ZIP code: 02479.  I went through a brief phase in my teens where I would list my return address as “Waverly, MA 02179.”  (It was changed to 02479 sometime in the last ten years or so.)

I also discovered a few local businesses that styled themselves with the short spelling.

Ultimately,  I felt these points didn’t add up to much of an argument, and I relented.

Since I was in the Waverley area today, I asked my mom–my folks still live in the area–how she spells it.  She responded with the short spelling.  So, at least I know why I spell it the way I do.

On the way home, I was pretty sure the Waverley post office used to be adorned with a simple sign that said “Waverly Post Office 02179.”  So I stopped by, only to find that the simple metal sign had been covered by a lit plastic sign featuring the US Postal Service logo and nothing more.

Then I spotted the window! That photo at the top of this post, ladies and gentlemen, the one with the short spelling, is a photo of the window of the United States Post Office in Waverly Square.  And if it’s good enough for the Post Office, then it’s good enough for me!

Now, I should probably try to draw some observation here, like: “this is how place names change over time,” or “now that these names are in databases instead of on paper and in people’s memories, place names might stop evolving,” or “maybe marketing interests will drive the naming of neighborhoods instead of the people in the area.”

No, that would take a long time, and this post has already gotten out of hand.

Instead, I’m just going to give reign to my wicked provincial nature, and heap scorn on all you people who aren’t from here trying to tell me how to spell things! :)