The roots of Chicken Alley in Vineyard Haven, otherwise known as Lagoon Pond Road, go back to the days when chickens and pigs mingled on dirt roads with dirty-kneed children on their way to go fishing.

The lane was lined with houses, some of them moved over the bridge from Oak Bluffs on rollers, their owners Portuguese descendants from whaling days. There was always a plate of jag or sweet bread to be had after the fishing poles were put away.

Apparently when the movers relocated the now famous Thrift Store from its Main street location, where it was brought to life by community-minded Mrs. Edith Foote, to its current roost, they referred to the new spot as Chicken Alley. The moniker stays to this day, such is the influence of the noted thoroughfare.

Although the Vineyard’s Chicken Alley is a unique neighborhood, its name is not one of a kind.

Take the Asheville, N.C., Chicken Alley for instance. It’s an artsy section of the city with a paranormal reputation. Named so because it was the location of a chicken slaughterhouse, this Chicken Alley is said to be haunted by Dr. Jamie Smith, a lover of fedoras and the nightlife.

Unfortunately for Dr. Smith, he stumbled upon a brawl at a Chicken Alley bar in the early 1900s and was stabbed in the heart. He supposedly walks the alley these days, still carrying his doctor’s bag and wearing a fedora. Maybe he just wants to find that drink he missed that night, or maybe he’s just comfortable there.

Either way, hopefully he’ll be content to stay in Asheville and leave our Vineyard Chicken Alley as is.