SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY, Va. (WAVY) — A community in Southampton County is working to change the names of roads that spark pain in a county known for a violent insurrection.
Native resident Toya Bynum says she originally tried to take action about five years ago to get the names of Hanging Tree Road and Blackhead Signpost Road changed. Nothing came out of it.
But this past April, she decided to try again.
“This time it just took off,” she said. “It’s had 250-odd [Facebook] shares. Thousands of people signed the petition. It truly came from [how] I always thought these street names were crazy and here we are in 2020, they’re still there with no full story being told, no historical context attached to it. It’s time for us to look at how we can bring our county forward and make it a more inclusive community for all of us in Southampton County.”
Southampton County is known in history as the place for America’s most famous slave rebellion.
In 1831, Nat Turner led a group of slaves through the region on a spree of violence, killing slave owners and their families. Fifty-five white people were killed in a span of days. In the aftermath, Turner was hung and an estimated 200 Black people, many of whom had nothing to do with the rebellion, were also killed.
The incident sent shock waves through North and the South.
“That rebellion resulted in harsher slave laws across the South and it also spurred a lot of emotion from those against slavery because it showed slaves were not happy,” said Covington, who says there was a false narrative that slaves were happy.
The two women say they learned about much of the county’s history through stories passed along. They originally believed Hanging Tree Road was in reference to a place where Black people were lynched.
After doing some research, they found that it referenced the low branches of the trees. To avoid misconceptions, they hope to get that road renamed as “Low Branch Road.”
On the other hand, Covington says Blackhead Signpost Road does stem from Turner’s Rebellion and was the site where the head of at least one decapitated slave was placed as a warning to others about consequences.
The two women say seeing the signs growing up stirred up different emotions.
“On one hand, you feel a sense of pride that your ancestors made it through that. I think growing up we all had pride for our county for what it stood for and [was] known for. On the other hand, you have these streets but no context,” Bynum said.
A Change.Org petition to get the name changes has more than 7,600 signatures. The two say many in the community are working to get this done and they’re excited.
They’re also working with local government, which they say has given them positive feedback. They presented last week to the Southampton County Planning Commission in hopes of getting an ordinance changed that currently requires 51 percent of those living on the street to sign for the change.
There will be a public hearing on Sept. 22 with the Board of Supervisors to change the ordinance, which would allow the board to vote to change the name themselves.
Bynum and Covington say the process has really shown how important being involved in the community is. Is has also helped with voter registration.
“The Democratic process in Southampton County is working. We’ve seen it not work in other places but in this little town, people of all races, of all ages are coming together saying this needs to be addressed,” Covington said.
The two say that they’re hoping to place historical markers at the sites to give context behind the names. They want to also work to improve curriculum for students to learn more about the history of the county.
They hope others will join them in support of what they’re doing so Southampton County becomes an even better place to live for all.
“There’s a wave happening nationally where people in the community are coming together. There’s no better time for our county to hold hands — across all of our crazy history and not-so-nice history — to make a strong step forward to bring the county and area together,” Bynum said.
To view the petition, click here.