Village of Plover is actually ‘Plvoer,’ after all

By John Harry

The Portage County Historical Society (PCHS) announced today the finding of the Village of Plover’s original incorporation documents, which state that the village’s name is actually Plvoer.

During a search in the archives for something totally unrelated, staff uncovered a scroll tucked away in a corner. The scroll contained a document written in an elaborate script dating from 1845 when the village was first platted.

The document clearly shows that the original name of the area was Plvoer.

The village actually has had numerous name changes through the years.

“In 1857, the village was actually renamed Algernon after a county postmaster, and then changed to Stanton in 1858,” explains PCHS Executive Director John Harry, “It seems residents had a hard time pronouncing Plvoer and were seeking alternatives.”

Finally, in 1864 the village permanently switched to Plover, and it’s been that way ever since.

Residents of Plvoer…er…Plover, so far, have had a tough time taking the news with one Plvoerian declaring, “It’s like I’ve been living a lie my whole life.”

Another resident questioned, “What in the heck is a Plvoer anyway? Sounds like the noise my stomach makes after too much fish fry.”

This is, however, a moment of validation for the workers painting the village water tower last summer and made national news misspelling the village’s name as Plvoer. Apparently, this was not in error after all.