We Were Here First: The American Towns Fighting Over Who Really Owns a Piece of History
Americans love a good origin story. We love knowing where things come from, who invented them, and which patch of ground deserves the credit. The trouble is, history is messy, documentation is incomplete, and civic pride is absolutely relentless. The result? A surprising number of beloved American traditions, foods, and firsts are claimed — with total sincerity and genuine receipts — by two different places at the same time.
These aren't just trivia disputes. In some cases, they've been going on for over a century. Towns have passed resolutions, erected signs, filed formal objections, and launched full-blown PR campaigns over these things. And honestly? We're here for it.
Here are some of the most fiercely contested origin stories in America, presented as fairly as we can manage. The verdict, as always, is yours.
1. The First Labor Day Parade: New York City vs. Portland, Oregon
Labor Day is a federal holiday, which you'd think would come with some clean documentation. It does not.
New York City's case: On September 5, 1882, workers in New York organized what is widely described as the first Labor Day parade in American history. The Central Labor Union, led in part by Peter J. McGuire, marched through lower Manhattan with an estimated 10,000 workers. McGuire is frequently credited as the holiday's originator, and New York's claim has the advantage of being the most cited in mainstream historical sources.
Portland, Oregon's case: Not so fast, says Oregon. A competing theory credits machinist Matthew Maguire (note the different spelling) with first proposing the holiday — not McGuire — and some historians argue that an earlier workers' gathering in the Pacific Northwest predates the New York march. Oregon was actually the first U.S. state to make Labor Day an official public holiday, in 1887, which Portland boosters will mention early and often.
The honest answer: Both men likely contributed to the holiday's creation, and the historical record has genuine ambiguity. The U.S. Department of Labor has diplomatically acknowledged both McGuire and Maguire as potential founders. This one may never be fully resolved, which is probably why both sides are still arguing.
2. The Original Cheesesteak: Pat's vs. Geno's (And Also the Rest of Philadelphia)
Okay, this one is technically within a single city — but the rivalry is so intense, and the two establishments so geographically close (they're literally across the street from each other in South Philly), that it functions exactly like a town dispute.
Pat's King of Steaks' case: Pat Olivieri is credited with inventing the cheesesteak in the 1930s, and Pat's has been operating since 1930. The family-run institution argues it is the original, the authentic article, the one that started it all.
Geno's Steaks' case: Geno's, founded in 1966 by Joey Vento, doesn't claim to have invented the cheesesteak — but it does claim to have perfected it, popularized it nationally, and made it the cultural icon it is today. Geno's argues that origin and influence aren't the same thing.
The broader Philadelphia case: Many longtime Philly residents will tell you that neither Pat's nor Geno's makes the best cheesesteak in the city, and that the whole tourist-facing rivalry distracts from dozens of neighborhood spots with deeper community roots. This camp may be the most passionate of all.
The honest answer: Pat's has the historical claim. Geno's has the cultural footprint argument. Local spots have the loyalty argument. Philadelphia, collectively, refuses to let anyone outside the city adjudicate.
3. The Birthplace of the Hamburger: Hamburg, New York vs. New Haven, Connecticut vs. Athens, Texas
Three towns. One sandwich. Enormous stakes.
Hamburg, New York's case: The town literally shares its name with the food. Local legend holds that Frank and Charles Menches sold a ground beef sandwich at the Erie County Fair in 1885, calling it a "hamburger" after their hometown. Hamburg, NY has leaned hard into this claim and celebrates it regularly.
New Haven, Connecticut's case: Louis' Lunch, a New Haven institution operating since 1895, claims to have served the first hamburger sandwich in America in 1900. The restaurant is still open, still cooking burgers on antique vertical broilers, and still very much not backing down. The Library of Congress has cited Louis' Lunch in some accounts of hamburger history.
Athens, Texas's case: Athens holds an annual "Original Hamburger Festival" and credits a local resident named Fletcher Davis with serving hamburgers at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. The Texas claim has some supporting newspaper documentation from the era.
The honest answer: Food historians generally acknowledge that the hamburger's origin is genuinely unclear, likely evolved from multiple regional traditions simultaneously, and may not have a single true birthplace. This does not stop anyone from arguing about it.
4. The First Thanksgiving: Plymouth, Massachusetts vs. Berkeley Plantation, Virginia
This one runs deep.
Plymouth's case: The 1621 harvest celebration between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag people at Plymouth Colony is the event most Americans learn about in school. It's the cultural touchstone, the one that anchors the holiday's mythology, and Plymouth has built an entire identity around it.
Berkeley Plantation's case: Virginia argues that the actual first English colonial Thanksgiving took place at Berkeley Plantation on December 4, 1619 — two years before Plymouth. A group of settlers from England held a religious observance specifically giving thanks for their safe arrival, and their charter required them to observe the date annually. Virginia has the earlier date, and a strong documentary case.
The honest answer: It depends entirely on how you define "Thanksgiving." If it's a harvest feast with communal celebration, Plymouth has the cultural claim. If it's a formal religious day of thanks, Berkeley Plantation is earlier. Historians tend to acknowledge both. The towns, less so.
The Bigger Picture
What makes these disputes so enduring isn't stubbornness — or not only stubbornness. It's that origin stories matter to communities. They shape identity, drive tourism, and give residents a sense of pride in their place in the national story. When two towns both believe they're the true source of something beloved, they're really both saying the same thing: this matters to us, and we were part of it.
At 1Wiki, we think both versions of a story deserve to be heard. History is rarely as clean as a single founding moment, and the debate itself is often as interesting as the answer.
So — which side are you on? The comments are open, and we genuinely want to know.
Think your town has a disputed claim we missed? 1Wiki's community-driven platform makes it easy to contribute. Add your local history and let the debate begin.
