Editor's note: We received this submission yesterday in response to Marcia Worth's piece on Nancy Drew creator Edward Stratemeyer.

Based on a local legend, South Orange has come to embrace the story that author extraordinaire Edward Stratemeyer was driving in the Village when he happened to be inspired for the story that began the series on the best girl detective the world has ever known.

We tell this story over and over. It’s written in our local history books and is now retold on Patch. This would all be fine, except for the dilemma that the story is false. The first Nancy Drew is about a wall clock, not a clock tower. A noted Stratemeyer researcher backs up this claim.

This past spring, I did a literature project in my Language Arts class at South Orange Middle School. I decided to research Edward Stratemeyer because of his creation of many of the detectives that the world loves.

There are a number of legends and myths connected with Edward Stratemeyer. One of the intriguing stories about him is the local tale about him being inspired by the clock on top of what was then the new town hall in downtown South Orange. Our local history book says that Stratemeyer saw it and came up with a story. However, a renowned Stratemeyer expert told me as part of my school research that this story has been told so often, people believe it is true.

"Sometimes once a story gets started, it gets repeated many times until people stop considering what was behind the story in the first place," James Keeline told me.

"I believe I heard of the South Orange clock tower claim once before," Keeline said. "However, it does not fit with any of the Syndicate's documents written at the time Nancy Drew was being planned, such as the letters at New York Public Library or the outline for Old Clock."

Although I’m sure that all of South Orange would love to be connected with the inspiration for the fantastic Nancy Drew series, the facts are facts and the truth must be told.

Holly Joyce Lehren is a 12-year-old student at South Orange Middle School who loves to read. Her favorite stories are mysteries and she is a fan of Edward Stratemeyer, who she says was a great storyteller and mystery writer.