The origins of the name of the Blue Ball town has nothing to do with anything bad. Back in the mid-1700s, the town was originally named Earl Town. John Wallace built an inn, hung a literal blue ball out front, and named it the Blue Ball Inn. The locals, highly amused by the creative sign, started referring to the town as “that town with a blue ball.” It became an unforgettable landmark. Even though the original blue ball was removed when the inn was rebuilt in 1790 to make a larger hotel, the town residents decided to officially change the name in 1833. The hotel fell into disrepair and was torn down in the late 1990s.