If William Penn had his way, you'd be living in 'New Wales' right now

Joel Shannon | York Daily Record

Pennsylvania isn't named after William Penn. And if you're confused, he kind of thought you would be.

Here's the story, according to information from the History Channel, the Pennsylvania State museum, ushistory.org, and a journal article by J. Ambler Williams, the Former President of the Welsh Society of Philadelphia.

Assuming you know some basic Pennsylvania history, it's a pretty easy leap to think that Pennsylvania was named after its founder, William Penn, who started the commonwealth as a "Holy Experiment" in religious liberty.

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The state's name does mean "Penn's Woods," but it's not named for William Penn. It's actually named after his father.

That's because King Charles II of England owed Admiral Sir William Penn -- William Penn's father -- a large sum of money late in the 17th Century.

In payment, the king granted the late Admiral's son a tract of land in the new world -- what we now call "Pennsylvania."

But that's not what William Penn wanted it to be called.

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The timeline of events isn't commonly agreed upon, but Penn's original intent is: He wanted to name the land New Wales.

Partly because he thought it looked like Wales.

Partly because he wanted to honor his Welsh ancestry.

Partly because he didn't want people thinking he named the place after himself.

If not "New Wales," he thought "Sylvania" -- or just "woods" -- would work.

But in the end, the decision was the King's, and he chose "Pennsylvania," -- or "Penn's Woods" to honor William Penn's father.

Take a look at the brilliance of Penn's Woods in fall below: