What's in a Name?

I live in Connecticut, the Constitution State. There are no heirloom sewing shops nearby, just JoAnn Fabrics, Michaels and Hobby Lobby. We do have a few quilt fabric, needlepoint and knitting stores, but these are few and far between.

But we do have the Thimble Islands!

The Thimble Islands is an archipelago consisting of small islands in Long Island Sound, located in and around the harbor of Stony Creek in the southeast corner of Branford, Connecticut.

 

The archipelago of islands made up of Stony Creek pink granite bedrock were once the tops of hills prior to the last ice age. As a result, the Thimble Islands are much more stable than most other islands in Long Island Sound, which are terminal moraines of rubble deposited by retreating glaciers

Known to the Mattabeseck Indians as Kuttomquosh, "the beautiful sea rocks,

 

The first European to discover the islands was Adrian Block in 1614. Legend says that Captain Kidd buried his treasure here, causing intermittent interest among treasure hunters who believe they have unearthed a clue to its location, although more interest is generally paid to Gardiners Island, 30 miles away.

Although they are said to be named for the thimbleberry, a relative of the black raspberry, that plant is seldom seen in the area, and is more frequent in northern New England. Other species of blackberry and raspberry, however, are sometimes referred to by residents of the area as thimbleberries.

And I belong to Thimbleberry Chapter of SAGA, which is named for the thimbleberry bush.

Do you know how your chapter name came about? It is a fun thing to research-let me know what you discover!

www.saganews@smocking.org