Places Named Flanagan

There are several places in the world which have the name "Flanagan" (in one of its various spellings). These are a few of the ones we've found so far. Help your webmaster to find more. (The "American Centeredness" of this page is reflected in the use of "Miles" rather than "Kilometers" and "feet" rather than "meters". All of the entries save one (a park in Ireland), are located in the U. S. of A. When we have more of an international selection, we'll have to decide which terms we'll use to present certain vital statistics):

Cities, towns, villages and settlements:

Flanagan, Illinois, U. S. of A.
40°52'39" North; 88°51'32" West; Elevation: 669' msl.

Flanagan, Illinois on a MapQuest Map.

Located in Livingston county, in the heart of Illinois, I believe its population of 1,083 makes Flanagan, Illinois the largest town named "Flanagan" in the United States. It is only a curiosity, but my Father's name was Dana Flanagan. Look on the map, just north of Flanagan, Illinois and you will find another small settlement named "Dana."

---Mike Flanagan

Red Creek, West Virginia, U. S. of A. - Also known as Flanagan Hill
39° 1' 24" North; 79° 33' 52" West; Elevation: 2596' msl.

Red Creek, West Virginia on a Mapquest Map.

Juanita Stewart of Georgia, who grew up in the area, told me that Ebenezer Flanagan was the:

". . . first permanent settler in the Dry Fork area [in West Virginia], and apparently the holder of the first land grant received in the area. He came from the South Branch Valley [the Potomac] and obtained a grant for a large area just south of the Canaan Valley. This area ever since has been called Flanagan Hill. Since there was no other kind of shelter, he and his family lived under a cliff of rocks against Pointy Knob while he built his cabin." Ebenezer settled at the head waters of Big Run (between Flanagan Hill and Canaan Valley) on April 5, 1792. " Flanagan Hill is in Dry Fork District, on State Route 72, thirteen miles from Hendricks, and is the oldest community in Dry Fork District, being established about 1800 by the Flanagan family."

Pointy Knob is on Canaan Mountain, just south of Canaan Valley, according to a photocopy from a book. "This is where Ebenezer Flanagan, the first settler in the area, came with his family on April 5, 1792, and made their home under a cliff of rocks until they got a cabin built. The community has been called Flanagan Hill ever since that time." The area is behind the Flanagan Hill School building which is now being used by the Flanagan Hill Homemakers Club. The Red Creek post office is at Flanagan Hill. The "Flanagan Hill store and post office building," says Juanita Stewart, "was built about 1900. A country store where people could come to talk and visit is becoming pretty rare now but was very much a part of country living in years past."

History of Tucker County (Fansler, 1962) says, "Flanagan Hill was never incorporated but it has been the center of community life in Dry Fork for 150 years and has had a post office since 1856. William Raines, a Democrat, was the first postmaster. The Flanagans were Republicans and he abhorred the idea of giving his post office a Republican name, so he named it Red Creek."

In the 1830's, Ebenezer was buried in Flanagan Hill Cemetery (not the cemetery of the same name at a church in Red Creek).

Georgia Jahnke of a neighboring town gave me information from a book: "`When asked about [the] name `Red Creek' instead of Flanagan Hill, she (Ms. Hedrick, mentioned below) said, "This confuses a lot of People." She explained that the creek runs from Laneville, where it's called the Red Creek through Dry Fork. Her grandfather, William Raines, had a store on Flanagan Hill and there was a post office in Dry Fork called the Red Creek Post Office. "Then they moved the post office up here to my grandfather's store where he had it until his death. The post office was still called Red Creek. William Raines is considered to be the first postmaster of the Red Creek Post Office.'--from Maudie Raines Hedrick in And Live Forever by Mariwyn McClain Smith.

---Sandra G. Holland

Flanagan, Kentucky, U. S. of A.
37° 56' 4" North; 84° 12' 41" West; Elevation: 867' msl.

Flanagan, Kentucky on a MapQuest map.

This tiny settlement is located just down the road from the legendary, Boonesborough fortification. Flanagan is in Clark county, Kentucky and about five miles south of Winchester. The Flanagan post office was named for Judge James Flanagan and closed in 1906.

---Suzi Flanagan Wright

Flanigan, Nevada, U. S. of A.
40° 11' 0" North; 119° 53' 0" West; Elevation: 4156' msl.

Flanagan, Nevada on a MapQuest Map.

A ghost town erected by the railroad in 1905, 5 miles east of Califormia border, about an hour's drive north of Reno. The Western Pacific Railroad did it.

---Bud Flanagan, in Arizona

Flanagan, Texas, U. S. of A.

Flanagan, Texas should be somewhere within the confines of this MapQuest Map.

Flanagan, Texas is about four miles northwest of Tatum and twenty-one miles northeast of Henderson in northeastern Rusk County. It was was named for David Webster Flanagan, who was a Brig. General in the Civil war, and a Republican politician. The town was started in 1882, and was a station on the Longview and Sabine Valley Railway. A post office opened there in 1900. The population at the turn of the century was recorded as fifty, and it was known as a shipping point for lumber. Population for Flanagan reached 200 by 1914. However, its post office was discontinued in 1916, and was no longer labeled on the 1982 county highway map. Information found in "The Handbook of Texas Online."

---Micki Flanagan Perry

Flanigan Hill, Tennessee, U. S. of A.
35° 27' 35" North; 87° 7' 41" West; Elevation: 1160' msl.

Flanigan Hill, Tennessee on a MapQuest Map.

In Maury County, Tennessee, near the Giles County line is another small settlement named after one Flanigan or another. Flanigan Hill is listed as the highest point (1,160' msl) in Giles County, Tennessee, even though the settlement is shown to be in Maury County. Go figure.

---Penny

Parks and Landmarks:

Flanagan Island, Virgin Islands
18° 19' 34" North; 64° 39' 2" West; Elevation: 14' msl.: Flanagan Island is an island located within the Virgin Islands archipeligo in the Caribbean. It is claimed by both the British Virgin Islands and the United States Virgin Islands, and maps in both territories usually fade out the maritime border on either side of the island. Under a rough but effective compromise, the Governments of both territories have designated the island as a national park, and not for development.
Flannagan Lake, Wisconsin, U. S. of A.
46° 9' 10" North; 90° 5' 7" West; Elevation: 1587' msl.: I've also found a Flannagan Lake near Mercer, Wisconsin which needs more research.
Flannagan Pond, Massachusetts, U. S. of A.
42° 33' 25" North; 71° 34' 10" West; Elevation: 223' msl.: And a Flannagan Pond near Ayer, Massachusetts -- which also needs more research.
Flannigan Island, Illinois, U. S. of A.
40° 2' 31" North; 91° 27' 37" West; Elevation: 472' msl.: Near LaGrange, Missouri, but on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River, in the Mark Twain National Wildlife Refuge (Long Island Division), there is a Flannigan Island.
Flanagan Park, Ballinrobe, County Mayo, Ireland.
53° 37' 21" North; 9° 13' 16" West; Elevation: 82' msl.: What we've learned thus far is that there is a Flanagan Park in Ballinrobe, County Mayo and that football (of the Irish variety) and hurling are both played there.
Flanagan Park, Colorado Springs, Colorado, U. S. of A.
38° 52' 39" North; 104° 48' 42" West; Elevation: 6158' msl.: Flanagan Park is part of the complex of parks called Bonforte Park, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It is a five acre site which includes soccer practice fields.
Flanagan Park, Merced, California, U. S. of A.
37° 17' 5" North; 120° 28' 29" West; Elevation: 163' msl.: Flanagan Park on the south side of Merced, California, is a four acre site with baseball fields & a playground.
Flanigan Park, Williamsport, Pennsylvania, U. S. of A.
41° 14' 34" North; 77° 00' 42" West; Elevation: 526' msl.: An eight acre neighborhood park with a community center, playground, basketball courts and a baseball field in Williamsport Pennsylvania.
Flanigan Park, Sidney, Ohio, U. S. of A.
40° 17' 29" North; 84° 8' 37" West; Elevation: 945' msl.: There is a Flanagan Park, a Sports Complex with four lighted fields, in Sidney, Ohio. It has been the site of NSA, slow pitch softball tournaments.