Illinois man gets lost on way to Murrvull

A man from the Prairie State looking for Maryville says he has become confused after hearing multiple references to another city called Murrvull.

Will Copeland, 41, started driving to East Tennessee Thursday to spend a few days with his family in Blount County. But after taking a wrong turn near Alcoa, he stopped at a convenience store to ask for directions. That's when things got strange.

"I asked if I was on the right road to get to Maryville," said Copeland. "The cashier said that I had missed my turn a few miles back and explained a better way to get there. But then she started talking about a place called Murrvull. It was really weird. I didn't know what to do. It's like she was trying to mess with me on purpose."

Copeland got back into his vehicle and started for what he thought was Maryville. But he decided to stop and ask for directions a second time.

"The same thing happened," he said. "The guy was giving me directions, but then he started talking about this Murrvull. It sounded kind of like where I was going, but Maryville and Murrvull are obviously two different places. I thought maybe they were playing some kind of prank on me because I'm a Yankee."

Confused, Copeland decided to follow the directions to Murrvull as though it were the same city as Maryville. The strategy worked, or so he believes.

"Here I am in Maryville," he said. "At least I think I am. Apparently it's really Murrvull. Or something. I don't get it. All the signs say Maryville. All the people call it Murrvull. I don't know who to believe anymore. If Robert Stack was still alive, he'd be all over this. Fortunately I head back to Chicahgo in a few days. Things make sense there."

This isn't the first time Copeland has experienced difficulties getting around East Tennessee. He has had similar problems trying to locate the cities of Nogsvull and Chatnoogy.