Freedom Creek Explained

Freedom Creek, formerly known as Runaway Negro Creek, is a stream in Chatham County, Georgia, in the United States. The creek runs along the edge of Skidaway Island State Park.^[1] The unusual former name of the creek has attracted the attention of media commentators.^[2]

History

The name Runaway Negro Creek, for the tidal creek located 8 miles SE of downtown Savannah, GA, did not appear on any map until 1906. A different creek, nearer to Savannah, and bordered by plantations with slave villages, was named Runaway Negro Creek from 1785 until at least 1875. Today that creek is named Habersham Creek.  That creek was the site of some military action during the American Civil War.^[3] In 2019, the United States Board on Geographic Names voted to rename the creek Freedom Creek.^[4]

See also

• List of rivers of Georgia

References

31.9766°N -81.0462°W

Mentioned on SuperMegaCast - EP 305: Shrimp & White Wine (ft. jacksfilms)

Notes and References

1. Web site: Race-Based Names Dot the Landscape . The New York Times . October 6, 2011 . August 11, 2014 . Severson, Kim.
2. Web site: New Hampshire's Jew Pond to be renamed Carleton Pond . Chicago Tribune . September 7, 2012 . August 11, 2014 . McLure, Jason.
3. Book: Dept, United States. Navy. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion. 1902. U.S. Government Printing Office. 760.
4. News: Feds approve renaming of Runaway Negro Creek near Georgia coast . Niesse . Mark . 2019-04-15 . The Atlanta Journal-Constitution . 2019-04-16 . English.