Blainsport, Pennsylvania facts for kids
Blainsport is a small, unincorporated community located in West Cocalico Township, which is part of Lancaster County in Pennsylvania, United States. An unincorporated community is a place where people live together, but it doesn't have its own separate local government like a city or a borough. Instead, it's governed by the larger township or county around it.
How Blainsport Got Its Name
Blainsport has an interesting history, especially when it comes to its name!
From Reinholdsville to Blainsport
This community was first known as Reinholdsville. You can find it listed under this name on old maps of Lancaster County from the 1850s and 1860s. It even appeared as "Reinholdsville PO" on some maps, with "PO" meaning it had a post office.
A New Name for a New Era
In 1884, the people living in Reinholdsville decided they wanted a new name for their town. They asked the US Post Office Department to change the name to Blainesport. This new name was chosen to honor James G. Blaine. He was a very important American politician and a leading candidate for president from the Republican Party at that time.
The US Post Office Department is the government agency in charge of mail services and approving official names for towns and post offices. They agreed to the name change, but they made a small adjustment. They decided to drop the letter "e" from "Blainesport," making the official name Blainsport. Even after this change, some newspapers continued to spell it "Blainesport" for many years!
