Some discussion has arisen concerning the name which this townsite was given. The story told in 1955 by the late Jack Yates to the Lions Club seems to be one of the better ones.
There was a Dr. Albert Hoffman who operated a drug and mercantile store. In the· stock was the usual whiskey which was sold for 50 cents a quart. The spirits were available in small kegs or barrels if one really wanted a good snort. After a while, it seems Dr. Hoffman took to diluting the whiskey with water to make it go further. According to the story, he used water from Glade Creek as the diluting agent. One citizen purchased some of the doctor's whiskey and sometime later got sick. A friend of his happened around and inquired what caused his illness. "I'm sick from drinking that Glade Creek water" was the reported reply. And the tale has it that this could have had something to do with it that this could have had something to do with Gladewater getting its present name.