We have used historian William Folster's series of street names articles published in the Central Western Daily in 1949 as one of the references for this series.

And it's a throwaway line in his history of Summer Street that has sparked a mystery.

"The writer has the recollection of having seen the name spelt on a very early map as Sumner," he said.

Was there a Mr Sumner whose name later was forgotten to be replaced by a sunnier, warmer name?

The Central Western Daily has looked at maps dating back to the 1890s but the spelling is Summer Street throughout. Clearly he was referring to an earlier map but that has not been found.

Historian Ross Maroney said the naming of the street was a "puzzle" and might have nothing to do with the season.

In the Orange Wiki he said it might be named after the nearby, earlier, settlement of Summer Hill, east of Orange.

"One possibility is that the early surveyors were thinking of 'Summer Hill Street', which may seem slightly ludicrous now, but, at the time, Summer Hill was a settlement rivalling Blackmans Swamp," he said.

Summer Street also has a short section named Summer Street East starting at Five Ways where it is now cut off at William Street.

While that name did continue all the way to the end of the street at Park Street, today the street sign name for this section has reverted to Summer Street.

As East Orange was developed from the 1860s, gaining its own muncipal council in 1888, streets were laid out and named.

With seasonal Summer Street passing through the area, two cross streets took their names from two other seasons, namely autumn and spring.

An 1894 map of the area shows it was planned that Summer Street would continue further east.

It is assumed with that in mind another cross street where Summer Street would have ended became Winter Street.

However, the planned streets were not built.

The land was the site of the Llanello property, later Croagh Patrick and now has a subdivision with streets including James Sheahan Drive.