September 6th 2024.
Julie and Richard Gearhart, a couple from Chicago, Illinois, were feeling adventurous on their trip to Scotland. They had heard about a unique street called Ebenezer Place, which was known to be the shortest street in the world. Despite their lack of directional skills, they were confident that they would be able to find their way there.
Ebenezer Place has quite an interesting history. It was officially declared a street in 1887, and it has been recognized by the Guinness Book of Records as the shortest street in the world. Located in Caithness, Scotland, this street has only one address and is a mere 6 feet and 9 inches long. To put that into perspective, even the world's tallest person would be longer if they were to lie down on this street.
The street was originally established in 1883, when the owner of a building on that spot, Alexander Sinclair, was required to display a name on the shortest side of the hotel. This was due to a council decision that deemed the short edge of the building as a new street. And thus, Ebenezer Place was born. It wasn't until four years later that it became an official street.
Interestingly, the street is only wide enough for one door, and it has been that way since the beginning. The building on Ebenezer Place has been a hotel since its construction, and it has had a few different names before it became known as Mackays.
Murray Lamont, the current owner of the hotel, shared some interesting facts about the street. He mentioned that when visitors first see the name Ebenezer, they often think of the character Ebenezer Scrooge from Charles Dickens' famous novel, A Christmas Carol. However, Murray explained that the original owner, Alexander Sinclair, was a religious man and chose the biblical name Ebenezer, which has Hebrew origins and means "stone of the help."
There was a period of time when the residents of Wick, the town where Ebenezer Place is located, decided to stop drinking. This was due to the Temperance Act of 1913, which allowed voters in small areas of Scotland to prohibit alcohol in their area. From 1922 to 1947, the town was officially alcohol-free, with no alcohol licenses allowed within the Royal Burgh.
Murray was proud to share that Ebenezer Place made it into the Guinness Book of Records after he submitted documents proving its size and validity. In fact, the book's editor-in-chief was so intrigued that he traveled 50 hours just to see the street for himself. And it's no surprise that the street has become a popular tourist destination, with people constantly stopping to take photos, day and night.
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