Eighty Four was originally named Smithville. Due to postal confusion with another town of the same name, its name was changed to "Eighty Four" on July 28, 1884.[6] The origin of the name is uncertain. It has been suggested that the town was named in honor of Grover Cleveland's 1884 election as President of the United States,[7] but that occurred after the town was named. Another possibility is the town's mile marker on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.[6] Another is that the town was named after the year the town's post office was built, by a postmaster who "didn't have a whole lot of imagination."[8]
^Algeo, Matthew (2011). Harry Truman's Excellent Adventure: The True Story of a Great American Road Trip. Chicago: Chicago Review Press. p. 179. ISBN9781569767078.