Swastika is anunincorporated community andhamlet in the town ofBlack Brook,Clinton County,New York, United States.[1] The community is 19 miles southwest ofPlattsburgh. The area is not very populated and appears as a wide spot on the road with a few buildings.[2]
The name dates back to at least 1913, when a post office called Swastika, NY operated from 1913 until 1958.[3][4] Edward Duprey, the town's last postmaster, told thePlattsburgh Press-Republican that the community was previously known as Goodrich Mills. "The government sent a list of names," he explained of Swastika's origin. "It had nothing to do with the community. It was just a name for the post office", he added.[5]
In September 2020, the town's councilors unanimously voted to keep the name Swastika after a New York City resident asked the town's council to consider another name.Black Brook, New York Supervisor Jon Douglass erroneously stated the town "was named by the town’s original settlers in the 1800s and is based on theSanskrit word meaning well-being”.[6][7] He noted "the four-sided geometric character that represents theSwastika has been used for thousands of years in Indian religions and seen as a symbol of good luck", despite the word's modern associations.[8] The request to change the name had been previously brought up during meetings, including once right afterWWII.[4]
Municipalities and communities ofClinton County, New York,United States | ||
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
44°30′47″N73°45′39″W / 44.51306°N 73.76083°W /44.51306; -73.76083