Why do they call it that? Bruce B. Downs Blvd. and Hillsborough Co.

Tampa, Florida -- Who is the man behind the name of New Tampa's main street, Bruce B. Downs? And why does Hillsborough County share its name with places as far away as New Hampshire? We have the answers.

Why do they call it Hillsborough County?

This isn't surprising: Hillsborough -- the river, the county, and the avenue -- are all named after the same guy. But this may surprise you: Hillsboro Inlet near Ft. Lauderdale and Hillsborough County, New Hampshire also share the same namesake.

The Earl of Hillsborough, whose given name was Wills Hill, was the British Secretary of State for the Colonies right before the United States declared independence.

He was incredibly powerful.

As an example of just how influential Wills Hill was, Rodney Kite-Powell, the curator of history at the Tampa Bay History Center, says old stories recount a meeting between Hill and Benjamin Franklin that -- in Kite-Powell's words -- "didn't go well" and touched off the American Revolution.

Kite-Powell says the Earl of Hillsborough commissioned several maps of the territories he commanded. Those mapmakers named several places and landmarks after Hillsborough to curry favor with him and make themselves look good.

Cartographers put Hillsborough's name on the river, and that name was carried over when the county was formed.

Why do they call it Bruce B. Downs Boulevard?

Years before the boulevard that bears his name led stop-and-go drivers to invent new ways to pass the time, Bruce Downs was the head of public works and transportation planning for Hillsborough County.

In the early 80's, when corrupt county commissioners were headed to prison, articles from the Tampa Tribune show Downs was known as honest, reliable, and relentlessly hard working.

On May 21st, 1983, the Tribune ran an article about just how stressful Downs' job was.

That same night, at dinner, Bruce Downs collapsed and died of a heart attack.

Downs had led the drive to expand roads into the far reaches of the county, including extending 30th Street north and east to Pasco County. Community groups rallied and county commissioners agreed, naming 30th Street north of Fowler Avenue after Downs.

Originally, commissioners had considered renaming Anderson Road after Downs, but backed off that plan when they discovered Anderson was already named after a county employee.

Why do they call it that? Now you know.

There are a lot more places out there with names that could use explaining. If you want to ask "Why do they call it that?" send an e-mail with a name that has you curious to Grayson Kamm using this link.

We'll be featuring new places and stories each Wednesday on The Morning Show from 5-7 a.m. on 10 Connects.

Thanks to Joe in Wesley Chapel for connecting with us and suggesting Bruce B. Downs this week.

Check out Grayson's other "Why do they call it that?" stories:
Tampa and Courtney Campbell Causeway
Dale Mabry Highway and Thonotosassa

Connect with 10 Connects multi-media journalist Grayson Kamm on Twitter as @graysonkamm, on his Facebook page, by e-mail at this link, or on AOL Instant Messenger as screen name GraysonConnects.