Hayes Barton is an older, prominent neighborhood in Raleigh, North Carolina, the state capital. It has many large houses, lots of old money families, and I had always assumed it was named for a prominent older family or families, perhaps the owners of the land before it became a neighborhood. Today, though, I learned that it was named for the house where Sir Walter Raleigh was born, Sir Walter Raleigh of course being the city’s namesake. The house still stands today but is a private residence, not open for tours. I read that Sir Walter wanted to buy the house but Queen Elizabeth I would not let him, wanting to keep him in London close to her.