Have you ever been to Ding Dong, Texas? The town was named after a family called Bell. I am not making this up. Bert and Zulis Bell opened a store in the 1930s, and hired a sign painter, C.C. Hoover, to make it attractive.
Up the way a bit, in Florence, was a man by the name of Fred Foster. Fred had a bit of a sense of humor and when he saw Hoover walk into his hardware company, he urged Hoover to take a little creative license with the sign he was painting for the Bells. He told Hoover he should paint two bells on the sign and label them Bert and Zulis. Then, underneath the bells, Hoover should paint the words ‘Ding Dong’. Hoover took Fred’s advice and painted the sign. From then on the community was forever known as Ding Dong. Pretty funny, huh?
You'll learn the origins of other small town names, like Two Egg, Florida, Possum Grape, Arkansas, and George, Washington, in a a list at Buzzfeed.
(Image credit: dont_skip_craig_day)