Ralph Northam’s Black History Marker contest in February. … To eliminate this mistaken association of our county with this barbarism, the name should be changed to something that more accurately represents the story circulating about low hanging tree limbs. By Staff Reports Fifteen of 17 proposed historical markers recently approved for manufacture recall people, places or events in Virginia’s African American history, including five topics submitted by students who participated in Gov. This hideous act was done as a deterrent to other enslaved individuals that would consider repeating Turner’s actions.Ĭovington echoed Blunt’s further remark that there’s no evidence that executions actually took place on Hanging Tree Road, yet, “… the current name of this street unnecessarily evokes the connotation of the dark and shameful history of America’s South, of the thousands of Blacks who were unjustifiably lynched for purposes of entertainment and intimidation. “ Our research on Blackhead Sign Post Road reveals that this road was named after the head of an enslaved black man was placed on a stake after he was caught and beheaded because he was thought to have participated in Nat Turner’s slave rebellion. The road takes its name from a rebel whose severed head was placed on a pole as a warning to others. Blunt, who said he’s a representative of the Citizens for Change group, said, “ In our opinion the aforementioned road names are demeaning, derogatory and offensive to a large number of residents in this county, as well as, to many visitors of the county. Al Brophy of the UNC Law School describes the history of the road's name this way: In Southampton County, the scene of the 1831 Nat Turner slave rebellion, there is a move afoot to rename Blackhead Signpost Road.
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