Zion Street Names
Zion’s streets and boulevards may seem oddly named, especially to someone not familiar with Zion’s history, as all the avenues in the City are named after a person or place in the Bible.
Dr. John Alexander Dowie, founder of the City of Zion, chose each of the names, and designated the streets in alphabetical order from east to west, a hundred years ago when Zion was first planned.
Zion was one of the nation’s few cities, after Washington D.C., to be mapped street by street and laid out in a symmetrical fashion.
The city street network was planned with two points in mind; the major thoroughfares were to lead to the center of town, which was the site of the Christian Catholic Church, and each street was to be named for something or someone in the Bible. Beyond that fact, and the Biblical reference of each street, little is known as to why Dr. Dowie chose each name.
Beginning at the lake front names were Antioch, Aquila, Berea, Damascus, Deborah and Ebenezer for the industrial section of the community east of the railroad tracks. To the west, termed the residential area, are Eden, Edina, Eli, Edina Blvd., Elizabeth, Elim, Elijah (Sheridan Road), Elisha, Emmaus, Enoch, Eshcol, Bethel Blvd., Ezekiel, Ezra, Gabriel, Gilead, Galilee, Hebron, Hermon, Horeb, Jethro, Joanna, Joppa, Jordan (Lewis Avenue), Kishon, Lydia, Mary, Melita, Moriah, Naomi, Nazareth, Ophir, Penial, Rachel, Rebecca, Ruth, Olivet (near Kenosha Road), Samuel, Sharon, Samos, Shebar, Siloam, Smyrna and Tabor (many of these west of Lydia have not been allocated). Diagonal and main boulevards were named Salem, Bethel, Bethesda, Bethany, Bethlehem, Carmel and Kedron. The only non-biblically named streets were a diagonal running from the southeast to the center named Caledonia, which is the Roman word for Scotland, Dr. Dowie’s native country, and Edina Blvd. which is named for an old Roman abbreviation for the City of Edinburgh, Dr. Dowie’s birthplace.
Here is a list of some of the existing streets in Zion and the significance of their names.
Dr. John Alexander Dowie, founder of the City of Zion, chose each of the names, and designated the streets in alphabetical order from east to west, a hundred years ago when Zion was first planned.
Zion was one of the nation’s few cities, after Washington D.C., to be mapped street by street and laid out in a symmetrical fashion.
The city street network was planned with two points in mind; the major thoroughfares were to lead to the center of town, which was the site of the Christian Catholic Church, and each street was to be named for something or someone in the Bible. Beyond that fact, and the Biblical reference of each street, little is known as to why Dr. Dowie chose each name.
Beginning at the lake front names were Antioch, Aquila, Berea, Damascus, Deborah and Ebenezer for the industrial section of the community east of the railroad tracks. To the west, termed the residential area, are Eden, Edina, Eli, Edina Blvd., Elizabeth, Elim, Elijah (Sheridan Road), Elisha, Emmaus, Enoch, Eshcol, Bethel Blvd., Ezekiel, Ezra, Gabriel, Gilead, Galilee, Hebron, Hermon, Horeb, Jethro, Joanna, Joppa, Jordan (Lewis Avenue), Kishon, Lydia, Mary, Melita, Moriah, Naomi, Nazareth, Ophir, Penial, Rachel, Rebecca, Ruth, Olivet (near Kenosha Road), Samuel, Sharon, Samos, Shebar, Siloam, Smyrna and Tabor (many of these west of Lydia have not been allocated). Diagonal and main boulevards were named Salem, Bethel, Bethesda, Bethany, Bethlehem, Carmel and Kedron. The only non-biblically named streets were a diagonal running from the southeast to the center named Caledonia, which is the Roman word for Scotland, Dr. Dowie’s native country, and Edina Blvd. which is named for an old Roman abbreviation for the City of Edinburgh, Dr. Dowie’s birthplace.
Here is a list of some of the existing streets in Zion and the significance of their names.
- Damascus - It was here that the Lord spoke to Saul who had been persecuting His believers. Saul was blinded by God and remained sightless for 3 days in Damascus until he accepted Jesus as the Son of God. (Acts 9:1-25)
- Deborah - Deborah was an ancient prophetess who judged Israel when it was held by the oppressive King Jabin of Canaan. She helped arrange the battle on Mt. Tabor at which Israel was returned to the followers of the Lord. (Judges 4:1-16)
- Ebenezer - The ancient “stone of help”, so named by Samuel after the Lord helped the Israelites defeat the Philistines in the battle between Mizpah and Shen. (I Samuel 7:12)
- Elizabeth - The wife of Zechariah, she was the mother of John the Baptist and a cousin of the Virgin Mary. (Luke 1:5)
- Elim - As Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, they passed through the Wilderness of Shur where there was no water. Three days later they reached Marah, where the bitterness of the water made it undrinkable. Finally they came to Elim “where there were 12 fresh springs of water and 70 palm trees and they encamped there by the water”. (Exodus 15:27)
- Elijah(Sheridan Road) - The Prophet Elijah was known throughout the Biblical land for his wonders performed for the Lord. (I Kings: 1:15)
- Elisha - He was Elijah’s successor. Elisha witnessed the ascension of Elijah into heaven, and also wrought many miracles. (I Kings 19:16)
- Emmaus - Emmaus was the village where the Lord revealed Himself to two of his disciples on the afternoon of His resurrection. It was “about three score furlongs from Jerusalem.” (Luke 24: 13-32)
- Enoch - Enoch was the father of Methuselah, and lived to the age of 365. “Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.” (Genesis 5: 21-25)
- Eshcol - The alley of Eshcol, in the land of Canaan, was searched by two of Moses’ “spies”, Joshua and Caleb, who brought grapes from the valley to Moses as evidence that “it is a good land which the Lord our God gives to us.” (Deuteronomy 1:24)
- Ezekiel - A priest to whom “the word” of the Lord came expressly, and the hand of the Lord was there upon him.”
- Ezra - Ezra was a scribe “skilled in the law of Moses, which the Lord God of Israel had given him. He had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.” (Ezra 7:1-10)
- Gabriel - The “Angel Gabriel” was the Lord’s messenger, sent to Daniel to explain his visions, to Zacharias to announce the future birth of John the Baptist, and to the Virgin Mary. (Luke 1:19)
- Galilee - Jesus was taken to Galilee as a child after Joseph, “being warned in a dream, withdrew to the district of Galilee.” As told in the Book of Matthew, Jesus “went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every infirmity among the people.” (Matthew 2:20-23; Matthew 4:23)
- Gideon - Gideon was the fifth judge of Israel and by him God delivered Israel from the Midianities. Gideon’s force of 300 men was chosen by God from a group of 10,000 by separating the men who “lapped the water with their tongues” from those who knelt down to the water to drink. (Judges 7:4-8)
- Gilboa - King Saul and his sons were killed in battle with the Philistines on Mt. Gilboa. After seeing his sons killed and being wounded himself, Saul “fell upon his sword” rather than let the Philistines “Thrust me through and make sport of me.” (I Samuel 31:1-6)
- Gilead - Jacob and Laban made a covenant between themselves and before God by setting up a pile of stones called Gilead, pledging, “This heap is a witness, and the pillar is a witness, that I will not pass over this heap to you, and you will not pass over this heap and this pillar for me, for harm.” (Genesis 31:44-53)
- Hebron - “Then Joshua blessed him, and gave unto Caleb, Hebron, the son of Jephunneh for an inheritance. So Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb, the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he wholly followed the Lord.” (Joshua 14:13-15)
- Hermon - This snow-capped mountain can be seen from all the heights of Palestine. “Behold how good and pleasant it is, when brothers dwell in unity!” It is like the dew of Hermon which falls on the mountains of Zion! For there the Lord has commanded the blessing life for evermore.” (Psalms 133)
- Horeb -Mount Horeb was also called Sinai. Here God delivered the Ten Commandments. (Exodus 17:6)
- Jethro - “When Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel, he said, “Now I know that the Lord is greater than all the gods.” (Exodus 18:1-11)
- Joanna - Joanna was one of the faithful women who ministered to Jesus while he lived and brought spices to his tomb. (Luke 24:1-10)
- Joppa - Joppa was the principal seaport of Judea. It was there that Peter raised Dorc from the dead and received a vision which led him to understand that Salvation was for Gentiles as well as for the Jews. (Jonah 1:3, Acts 10:1-22)
- Lydia - Lydia was Paul’s first European convert. “The Lord opened her heart to give heed to what was said by Paul.” (Acts 16:14)
- Bethlehem Blvd. (Rt. 173) - The birthplace of Jesus. “Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of Herod the King.” (Matthew 2:1)
- Salem Blvd. - Salem means peace. John the Baptist was baptized “near to Salem, because there was much water there.” (John 3:22-24)
- Kedron Blvd. - “A brook near Jerusalem over which Jesus crossed to enter the Garden of Gethsemane.” (John 18:1)
- Carmel Blvd. - Mount Carmel was the site of Elijah’s challenge to Ahab. “And Elijah said, ‘As the Lord of Hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself to him today. . . So Ahab sent to all the people of Israel, and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel.’” (I Kings, Ch. 18)
- Shiloh Blvd. - Shiloh refers to the Messiah. “Until Shiloh comes; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.” (Genesis 49:10)
- Bethesda Blvd. - A pool. “Now there is in Jerusalem by the sheep gate a pool called Bethzatha, which has five porticoes. At the pool of Bethesda, Jesus held the impotent man who had been infirm for thirty eight years, and Jesus healed him.” | (John 5:2)
- Bethel Blvd. - “And Jacob called the name of the place where God spake with him Bethel.” (Genesis 35:15)
- Lebanon Blvd. - A mountain range forms the northern limit of the Holy Land, and is thickly grown with firs and cedar trees. Lumber from the forests of Lebanon was used to build Solomon’s temple. (I Kings 5:6-10)
