Maine town leaders vote: Alcohol Mary Road to stay

[June 23, 2011]  GREENWOOD, Maine (AP) -- Selectmen in a western Maine town say a small hidden-away road named for a Prohibition bootlegger will keep its name.

Greenwood selectmen voted unanimously Tuesday night against changing the name of Alcohol Mary Road after hearing from an attorney who said the name defames the family name of her client.

The client, Arthur Hertell, lives in nearby Bethel and had a grandmother named Mary. She once lived on the road, although she's not the road's namesake. Hertell thinks the name is a "desecration" of her memory.

The Sun Journal reported that several residents who live on the colorfully named road said Alcohol Mary is a historical figure and a source of local pride.

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Information from: Sun-Journal, http://www.sunjournal.com/

[Associated Press]

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