Ahoskie

Ahoskie is a small town in Hertford County, North Carolina, whose name is somewhat a mystery. Although Ahoskie only has a population of a little over 5,000, it's presence is that of a larger town, because it pulls business from several surrounding communities.

Almost all historians agree that the name "Ahoskie" comes from an early Native American group, but then the information becomes contradictory. The Historical News writes that a Mr. Parker says the name came from Indians describing a ridge line that ran above surrounding swamps (vol. 35, no. 9-NC, p.14). This source also says that Mr. J. N. B. Hewitt of the Bureau of American Ethnology at the Smithsonian Institute accredits a corruption of the word "Hanahaski," although he adds that no Tuscarora lived in the area. Some old-timers remember hearing that

the word "Ahoshans" had been used for a group of mixed Indians from different tribes. The first written record of the word comes from a General Assembly meeting of 1722. It reads, "for the precinct of Bertie, now by this Assembly laid out at some convenient place at Ahotskey, where the justices shall appoint" (Ibid.). Wikipedia, however, tells that it comes from the Wyanoke Indians' word, "Ahotsky."

Regardless of where it originates, Ahoskie is the only town in the world with that name. This is where the town gets it's slogan, "The Only One."

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