ATLANTA (AP) - After effectively lobbying to change the offensive name of a small creek near Savannah, a Georgia senator is hoping to erect a memorial commemorating the creek’s history.
The U.S. Board of Geographic Names voted in April to change the name of the 1.5 mile creek on Skidaway Island from Runaway Negro Creek to Freedom Creek, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
The change came after legislation passed by the Georgia General Assembly last year directed Georgia Archives officials to ask the federal government to rename the creek. The legislation was sponsored by state Sen. Lester Jackson, a Democrat from Savannah.
Now Jackson is working with the Georgia Historical Society to place a marker commemorating the history of the creek. He’s already secured funding for the project, which is expected to cost about $5,000.
Local historians say the creek got its previous name after slaves from the Modena Plantation on Skidaway Island would try to cross the water to coastal islands occupied by Union forces during the Civil War.
Jackson said he was primarily concerned with the use of the term “runaway” in the creek’s former name. “What they were doing was seeking freedom,” Jackson told the newspaper.
Jackson said that a historical marker would serve as a “symbolic gesture, but also a gesture where people can come and learn about their heritage.”
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Information from: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, http://www.ajc.com
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