One of the things I like most about our neighborhood is the history that surrounds me. Whether it’s finding original homeowners who can tell me about life in the 1930’s, paintings on the sides of the buildings that depict Greenville in the early days, or tiled street names inlayed in the curb.  

It’s the latter that most recently piqued my interest. Just above the tiled curb, is the street sign for McCommas. However, the spelling is not the same. I decided an investigation was in order. This labor-intensive act was more than I anticipated. I figured a quick call to the Dallas Historical Society would clear up the discrepancy in the name. Yet, one phone call turned into many, and several trips were made to city buildings. The more I researched, the more I became infatuated with the city. For instance, did you know that the City of Dallas public library downtown 7th floor is dedicated to the Genealogy and History of Dallas?  I had more fun skimming card catalogs and looking at all the “firsts” to happen in Dallas. The first hotel, the first judge, the first aero squadron to leave for WWI out of Love Field, etc. However, the one thing I couldn’t find was the discrepancy in the street name.

As I searched Dallas Morning Newspaper articles for the 1940’s (they have newspaper articles dating back to the late 1800’s), I came across an article that was relevant to my cause. The city placed an ad looking for an “Expert” man to help distinguish the correct spelling of street names. The ad specifically names the McCommas family for which the street is named, “the McCommas family settled here many years ago, but the street named after that group is spelled as McComas.” Basically, all this tells me, is in December of 1940, someone was thinking the exact same as me, why is there a discrepancy in the street name. I wasn’t any closer to finding my answer. Once again, I stumbled on a 1950 Dallas Morning News article, again, asking someone to take the job of figuring out the “fouled up” street numbering system and “someone who could spell the street names correctly too.” The most I got from this article was a chuckle.  

Since I wasn’t getting anywhere from the back copies of the newspaper, I decided to consult the old maps and directories of Dallas. Maybe that information could help me narrow down my search to not only when the spelling change occurred, but why. Luckily my helper at the City of Dallas History Division, Nora Ochoa lent a hand. Through her research, we found the spelling changed from using one “M’ to two “M’s” in 1941. Finally, something definitive. Now, I just needed to find the “why.”

The “why” was not as easy. So far, the two articles I found regarding the incorrect spelling of street names insinuated that they were simply spelling errors. There was some truth in that. After speaking to someone at The Dallas Municipal Archives, it wasn’t just the spelling of McCommas that had a discrepancy. Forest Lane was originally spelled Forrest Lane, Center Street was Centre Street (this could be from European influence) and Fordham was spelled Fordam. Could it be that simple? Well, according to multiple agencies, it is. The lack of education in the 1920’s, led to many spelling errors throughout the city. It wasn’t until years later that the City Planning Committee decided to create uniformity in spelling. Up until that point, ads were placed in the city paper looking for an educated person to tackle the job of correcting the spelling of city streets.

Simple as that, I had my answer. Not the mysterious secret I was hoping to entertain my readers, but, a reasonable answer to quench my own curiosity.