"Old Slave Road" Will Remain the Name of Wildwood Street

The normally mundane task of petitioning a city for the change of a street name that transformed into a divisive debate over history and race in the city of Wildwood has come to a conclusion.

A petition to change Old Slave Road to Elijah Madison Lane failed to gain traction at a Wildwood City Council Monday when a motion to begin the process did not received a second.

The lack of action formed the end, for now, of a long-running saga that began last fall when a property owner and resident on the private street, Karen Fox, petitioned for the change, originally asking it be renamed Spiceberry Lane.

Fox told the council Monday night that the current name is “offensive” and the requested alteration will still reflect the area’s history. She also added that it had the support of nine of the 12 property owners who live on the road.

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“If a roadway name makes someone feel uncomfortable living or visiting there, that is wrong and it should be changed,” she said. “If we as citizens want to education the community about our history, let’s do so with an educational program in a museum or with a historic marker.”

Supporters of retaining the present name all argued that its removal would amount to whitewashing history.  They included Wildwood resident Ray Manton, who said it’s slavery as an institution that is despicable, not the name “slave.”

“How is the preservation of history accomplished by removing the street name of old slave road, which subsequently removes any knowledge of the old slaves buried there,” said Manton. “That street sign is their headstone.”

The pastor of Union Baptist Church in Wildwood, Harvey Fields, also spoke during the meeting and said “the reality is that names matter.” Afterwards, he praised the council’s effective denial of the name change.

“I think it’s a historical decision,” he said. “I think it honors and respects the slaves that are buried there.”

In a public comment section that spanned several hours, supporters and opponents talked in detail about the history of the area. The name originated from the original property owner, who platted the subdivision in 1979.

As previously reported by Patch, it's home to several cemeteries, including unmarked burial sites, which contain the graves of former slaves. Their preservation and protection has also been part of the debate.

Elijah Madison was a notable Wildwood, who likely earned his freedom fighting in the Civil War and later settled down to farm in the area. Fox pointed toward her research on the Madison family and its connections to the area, saying she had been willing to be flexible and had offered a name that could honor the legacy of the slaves who are buried there.

Afterwards, Fox said she had no comment on the council’s decision, or lack thereof, other than to say she was disappointed.