H Street

H

Hadley St. The street is named for Hadley, Massachusetts. The town was founded by Nathaniel Dickinson (1601-1676) who was an ancestor of poet, Emily Dickinson (1830– 1886). Emily is a 2002 young children’s book by Michael Bedard and illustrated by Barbara Cooney. It tells a story about a young girl who visits Emily Dickinson.

Hague Ave. The street was named for The Hague, Netherlands. Perhaps the most famous Dutch artist and resident of The Hague was Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890). You can try some of his ideas in Van Gogh and the Post-Impressionists for Kids: Their Lives and Ideas, 21 Activities, published in  2011 and written by Carol Sabbeth. Michael Hague is a children’s book illustrator and his wife, Kathleen Hague, is a children’s book author.

Hall Ave. Donald Hall (born 1928), is an American poet, writer, editor and literary critic. He was married to the poet, Jane Kenyon (1947-1995). His children’s book, Oxcart Man, (illustrated by Barbara Cooney) won the 1980 Caldecott Medal.

Hamline Ave. Named, of course, for Leonidas Lent Hamline (1797-1865) who was an American Methodist Episcopal bishop and a lawyer. He is the eponym of Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota, and also of Hamline Avenue and Hamline United Methodist Church, also in St. Paul. Children of Rondo: Transcriptions of Rondo Oral History Interviews, is a collection of  interviews by students of Hamline University; edited by Kimberly K. Zielinski and published by Hamline University in 2006. Also published by Hamline Press is Hey, Hmong Girl, Whassup?: The Journal of Choua Vang 2004 by Leah Rempel.

Hammer Ave. "If I Had a Hammer" was written by Pete Seeger and Lee Hays. It was written in 1949 and was first recorded by The Weavers, a quartet composed of Seeger, Hays, Ronnie Gilbert and Fred Hellerman. The folk trio, Peter, Paul and Mary made it a hit several years later. Their story is told in the 2014 book, Peter Paul and Mary: Fifty Years in Music and Life by  Peter Yarrow, Noel Paul Stookey and Mary Travers.

Hampden Ave. Anne Sullivan (1866–1936), was an American teacher, best known for being the instructor and lifelong companion of Helen Keller. She was born in Hampden County, Massachusetts. Her story is told in Beyond the Miracle Worker: The Remarkable Life of Anne Sullivan Macy and Her Extraordinary Friendship with Helen Keller, published in 2010 and written by Kim E. Nielsen. Both the avenue and the county are named for John Hampden (1594-1643), a hero of the English in their Civil War. His story is included in the 2004 young adult book, John Winthrop, Oliver Cromwell, and the Land of Promise by Marc Aronson.

Hampshire Ave. Jane Austen (1775-1817) was an well-known English author. Two of her books are  Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice. She was born in the county of Hampshire in southern England.

Hancock St. The street is named for General Winfield Scott Hancock (1824-1826). His story is included in the 1996 book, Gods and Generals by Jeff Shaara. Alexandra Hancock, or Aunt Alexandra, is a character in Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird.

Hardenbergh Pl.

Harriet Island Rd. The road and island are named for Harriet E. Bishop (1817 –1883) who was an educator, writer, suffragist, and temperance activist. Born in Panton, Vermont, she moved to Saint Paul, Minnesota in 1847. Her story gets included in More Than Petticoats: Remarkable Minnesota Women, published in  2004 and written by Bonnye Stuart. Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811 – 1896) was an American abolitionist and author. Her novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin, was published in 1852.

Harrison Ave. Don Empson tells us that Benjamin Harrison was president when this street was named and who is the likely eponym. Presidential Diversions: Presidents at Play from George Washington to George W. Bush is a fun read about what the presidents did for fun. It was published in 2007 and written by Paul F. Boller Jr.                                                            "Harrison Bergeron" is a satirical science-fiction short story written by Kurt Vonnegut (1922-2007) and first published in 1961.

Hartford Ave. Wallace Stevens (1879–1955) was an American Modernist poet. He was born in Reading, Pennsylvania and spent most of his life working as an executive for an insurance company in Hartford, Connecticut. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for his Collected Poems in 1955. Don Empson tells us that the street was likely named for the city.

Harvard St. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (born 1950) is the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and Director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University. He is the author of seventeen books and has created fourteen documentary films.

Hatch Ave. “I will not hatch - A baby chick refuses to hatch from its egg.” is a poem in Shel Silverstein’s (1930-1999)  poetry collection, Where the Sidewalk Ends.” Don Empson’s book tells us that the street was named for Edwin Hatch (1825-1882) who was involved in the Dakota War of 1862 as a major of a cavalry battalion. Empson tells us that “It was Hatch who violated international law by kidnapping two Dakota chiefs from their refuge in Canada and returning them to the United States, where they were hanged for their part in the conflict.” This author apologizes to the residents of Hatch Avenue for bringing this to their attention. Perhaps they could erect a memorial to Shel Silverstein instead. Through Dakota Eyes: Narrative Accounts Of The Minnesota Indian War Of 1862 was published in 1988 and written by Gary C. Anderson.

Hawley St. The Beatrice Hawley Award (now the Alice James Award) is given annually by Alice James Books. The award includes publication of a book-length poetry manuscript and a cash prize (currently $2,000). Alice James Books is an American non-profit poetry press located in Farmington, Maine and affiliated with the University of Maine at Farmington.  Beatrice Hawley was a poet who died in 1985 at forty-one years of age from lung cancer. She was a member of the Alice James Books cooperative.

Hawthorne Ave. The street was named for the shrub. Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804–1864) was an American novelist and short story writer. He wrote The Scarlet Letter. His family name does not seem to be shrub-related as it was originally spelled Hathorne. He added the “w” for unknown reasons.

Hazel St. Hazel Street is in Hazel Park. Don Empson tells that the park was named by Helen Ames (1854-1940) when she saw children gathering hazelnuts in nearby pastures. Speaking of hazelnuts, here’s a book by the author of the very popular Pete the Cat books, Eric Litwin, The Nuts: Bedtime at the Nut House. The main characters are Hazel Nut and Wally Nut. Hazel is the main character in the novel, Watership Down written by English author Richard Adams  (born 1920).

Hazelwood St. The Hazelwood Trilogy  is a series of young-adult books written by Sharon Draper (born 1952). Draper has been awarded the Coretta Scott King Award five times.

Heather Dr. Heather Brewer (born 1973) is an American writer of young adult fiction. Her debut series, The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, was published by Dutton Juvenile.

Hendon Ave. The street was named for Hendon, London. Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, (1927 –2013) was a German-born British and American Booker prize-winning novelist, short story writer and two-time Academy Award-winning screenwriter. She lived in Hendon, after World War II.

Herbert St. George Herbert ( 1593 – 1633) was a Welsh-born English poet, orator and Anglican priest. Herbert's poetry is associated with the writings of the metaphysical poets. The modern poet, W.H. Auden, considered Herbert to be his poetic mentor. Herbert's poem, Love (III) begins: Love bade me welcome, yet my soul drew back,        Guilty of dust and sin. But quick-ey'd Love, observing me grow slack        From my first entrance in, Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning        If I lack'd anything. Here is one by Auden: This Lunar Beauty This lunar beauty Has no history Is complete and early, If beauty later Bear any feature It had a lover And is another. This like a dream Keeps other time And daytime is The loss of this, For time is inches And the heart's changes Where ghost has haunted Lost and wanted. But this was never A ghost's endeavor Nor finished this, Was ghost at ease, And till it pass Love shall not near The sweetness here Nor sorrow take His endless look.

Herschel St. The Adventures of Hershel of Ostropol is a children’s story written by Eric Kimmel (born 1946) and illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman  (1939 –2004). Eric Kimmel was this author’s Children’s Literature professor at Portland State University in the great state of Oregon which, as of February, 2015, is governed by a native Minnesotan. This author doesn’t mind bragging that he has played pickleball with the governor’s mother and even played with the governor when she was visiting her home state. In more blatant bragging, this author should point out that his two children were born in Oregon which makes them SNOBs (Society of Native Oregon Born). He isn’t sure what native Minnesotans are called.

Hersey St. John Hersey (1914 –1993) was an American writer and journalist considered one of the earliest practitioners of the so-called New Journalism. He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1944 for his novel, A Bell for Adano.

Hewitt Ave. John Harold Hewitt (1907–1987), was an Irish poet and considered the most significant Belfast poet to emerge before the 1960s generation of poets that included Seamus Heaney, Derek Mahon and Michael Longley. Edwin Hawley Hewitt (1874 - 1939) was an American architect from Minnesota. In 1906, he designed the Edwin H. Hewitt House in the Stevens Square neighborhood of Minneapolis, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

Hidden Falls Dr. Minnesota Waterfalls by Steve Johnson & Kenneth Belanger (published 2007) includes Hidden Falls.

Highland Pkwy. There are a ton of books with the word, Highland, in them. Take your pick. The neighborhood of Highland Park is home to the Highland Water Tower. It is usually open for tours one or two days a year. It was designed by Clarence W. Wigington, the nation's first African-American municipal architect. The tower was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. Here's a Minnesota book about a water tower: The Day the Water Tower Froze: Stories From the Mille Lacs Band by David D. MacArthur and is a 2012 book which relates the author's experiences working on the reservation.

Highwood Ave.

Hilding Ave. I Think My Mom Is Crazy is a 2013 picture book by Kelly Hilding.

Hillcrest Ave. Hillcrest Golf Course in Austin, Minnesota, is featured in Fore! Gone : Minnesota's Lost Golf Courses, 1897-1999 by Joe Bissen and published in 2014.

Hillsdale Ave.

Hillside Ave. Hillside Lullaby by Hope Vestergaard is a 2006 children's picture book about animals going to bed.

Hilltop Ln. Timothy's Tales From Hilltop School  by Rosemary Wells is a 2002 children's picture book by the author of the Max and Ruby series of children's books.

Hillwood Ct.

Holly Ave. Holly: The True Story of a Cat is a 2000 children's picture book by Ruth Brown.

Holton St. Henry Holton Takes the Ice by Sandra Bailey is a 2015 children's picture book about a boy who prefers ice dancing to hockey.

Homer St. Homer is best known as the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey. He was believed by the ancient Greeks to have been the first and greatest of the epic poets. Certain readers will recognize Homer as Bart's father. In the TV show, Bart's name was selected as it is an anagram of 'brat." This author wonders if his own parents thought of that when naming him.

Hope St. Hope Was Here is a 2000 young adult novel by Joan Bauer (born 1951). It was declared a Newbery Honor Book in 2001.

Hopkins St. Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844 – 1889) was an English poet, Roman Catholic convert, and a Jesuit priest, whose posthumous fame established him among the leading Victorian poets. His poem, Pied Beauty begins: Glory be to God for dappled things—  For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow;    For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim; Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches' wings;  Landscape plotted and pieced—fold, fallow, and plough;    And áll trádes, their gear and tackle and trim.

Horton Ave. Horton Hears a Who! is a children's book written and illustrated by Theodor Seuss Geisel (1904-1991) under the name Dr. Seuss and published in 1954 by Random House. Horton is an elephant. Don Empson tells us that the street is near Como Zoo and that the location might explain the name.

Howard Ct. Toni Morrison (born 1931) is an American novelist, editor, and professor. Among her best known novels are The Bluest Eye, Sula, Song of Solomon and Beloved. She is a graduate of Howard University located in Washington, D.C.

Howard St.

Howell St. The First Rasta: Leonard Howell and the Rise of Rastafarianism is a 2004 book by Helene Lee.

Hoyt Ave. Hoyt W. Fuller (1923-1981) was an American editor, educator, critic, and author during the Black Arts Movement. Fuller created the Organization of Black American Culture (OBAC) in Chicago. In addition, he taught creative writing and African-American literature at Columbia College Chicago, Northwestern University, and Cornell University.

Hubbard Ave. The Mother Goose rhyme, “Old Mother Hubbard” begins: Old Mother Hubbard Went to the cupboard, To give the poor dog a bone; When she came there, The cupboard was bare, And so the poor dog had none.

Hudson Rd. The street was named for Hudson, Wisconsin. Stop by their bookstore, Chapter2Books, at 226 Locust St, Hudson. Folk singer and activist Pete Seeger (1919-2014) founded the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater and the Clearwater Festival to draw attention to the problem of heavy pollution in the Hudson River in New York. His story is told in Pete Seeger: In His Own Words published in  2012.

Humboldt Ave. Alexander von Humboldt (1769–1859) was a Prussian geographer and explorer. He traveled extensively in South America. Charles Darwin considered him a mentor. Humboldt High School in Saint Paul is named for him. His story is included in The Picture History of Great Explorers published in  2009 by Gillian Clements. A new biography about him is The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt's New World by Andrea Wulf, published in 2015 by Alfred A. Knopf.

Hunt Pl. We're Going on a Bear Hunt is a classic children's song.  A book version was written by Helen Oxenbury and published in 1997.

Hunting Valley Rd. Native American Legends of the Great Lakes and the Mississippi Valley, selected and edited by Katharine B. Judson and introduced by Peter Iverson was published in 2000 by the Northern Illinois University Press. It includes plenty of hunting tales.

Huron St. The Huron Carol  by Jean de Brebeuf ; translated by J.E. Middleton, was originally composed in the 17th century. It  was published as an illustrated book by Greenwood Press in 2006. Here is the summary from the Ramsey County Library website: One of the loveliest of all carols, the Huron Carol was written by Father Jean de Brebeuf, a French Catholic priest who settled among the Huron people in the early 1600s. Despite his missionary zeal, he was sensitive to the Hurons' beliefs. He wrote the carol in Huron and incorporated the Huron landscape and flora and fauna into the telling of the Christmas story. Ian Wallace brings his gorgeous landscapes and cultural sensitivity to this beautiful and unusual Christmas song, which makes a thoughtful gift for both children and adults.

Hyacinth Ave. The flower was one of Emily Dickinson's favorites. Here's one of her poems with it mentioned: I tend my flowers for thee - Bright Absentee! My Fuschzia's Coral Seams Rip - while the Sower - dreams - Geraniums - tint - and spot - Low Daisies - dot - My Cactus - splits her Beard To Show her throat - Carnations - tip their spice - And Bees - pick up - A Hyacinth - I hid - Puts out a Ruffled Head - And odors fall From flasks - so small - You marvel how they held - Globe Roses - break their satin flake - Opon my Garden floor - Yet - thou not there - I had as lief they bore No crimson - more - Thy flower - be gay - Her Lord - away! It ill becometh me - I'll dwell in Calyx - Gray - How modestly - alway - Thy Daisy - Draped for thee!

Hythe St. Sir Christopher Sydney Cockerell (1910 – 1999) was an English engineer. He is best known as the inventor of the hovercraft. He lived in Hythe, England, which is the source for the street name. Sneakier Uses for Everyday Things by Cy Tymony was published in 2005. It tells how to make a hovercraft toy.