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A Pond in Mont Vernon With a Controversial Name

With Town Meeting Day set for March, February is when towns hold public meetings about the budget items and warrant articles that will go before voters.

Mont Vernon, in southern New Hampshire, is no exception; its public hearing is tonight. And one of the items drawing the most attention is a request to change the name of a small body of water known as Jew Pond.

Katelyn Dobbs is a longtime resident of Mont Vernon. She recently finished a short documentary called “The Story Behind Jew Pond,” and she tells All Things Considered host Brady Carlson about the film and the pond. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s99ooTs-j0U

We reached out to Mont Vernon residents through our Public Insight Network to find out what they thought of this issue – here’s a few of their responses.

Linda Knippers said:

I've lived in Mont Vernon for 6 years and didn't know the pond even had a name. I think it makes sense to change the name of the pond to match the name of the park that the pond is part of, regardless of the history of the name.

Dave Diamond sent us this:

“we understand that there was discrimination and that's a chapter in town history that's behind us. I feel like changing it would paper over that part of our history, and that would be wrong.”

Now it’s your turn – share your thoughts on the pond and its name by posting a comment below.

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