Grammar PSA: Hang on to your apostrophes; Vermont landmarks don't want 'em

Keep your apostrophes. Bank them for when you go to places like Martha's Vineyard. They don't have currency with Vermont landmarks.

There's plenty of picturesque spots in Vermont the eschew the apostrophe. Case in point: Malletts Bay.

So why have people become stingy with their apostrophes? We have the U.S. Geological Survey to thank. This agency, the sole science agency in the U.S. Department of the Interior, was created by an act of Congress in 1879.  

The agency started U.S. Board on Geographic Names 11 years later and that board has discouraged the use of the possessive form. The board's archives leave no trace of why that policy went into place.

The agency's website suggests a few theories for the banishment of apostrophe:

• They look too much like a rock in water when printed on a map, and is therefore a hazard.
• In the days of “stick–up type” for maps, the apostrophe would become lost and create confusion.

They conclude that the most likely explanation is that the board wanted to avoid the implication of possession because “ownership of a feature is not in and of itself a reason to name a feature or change its name."

Not everyone in Vermont minds the board's apostrophe rules. Look no further than the Vermont State Parks' website and you'll find references to Camel's Hump and Smuggler's Notch state parks. 

The U.S.  Geographic Names Information System lists the two sites as Camels Hump and Smugglers Notch.

Contact Emilie Stigliani at 802-660-1897 or estigliani@freepressmedia.com. Follow on Twitter: @EmilieStigliani.