After recent white supremacy protests nationally, Bellingham removed signs identifying a bridge that was named after a Confederate leader.
City councilmembers asked the administration on Monday to look into renaming Pickett Bridge, because residents were uncomfortable with a landmark named after a military leader who served in a war that was "a pinnacle of America's racist history."
“We are a city committed to civil rights for all people, and we need to stand up to hate and take steps towards healing our country and our communities," Mayor Kelli Linville said in a release.
Pickett Bridge was named after Captain George E. Pickett, a U.S. Army officer who built Fort Bellingham in the 1850’s and supervised the construction of the first bridge across Whatcom Creek. Pickett left Western Washington in 1861 to fight for his home state, Virginia, in the Civil War.
The bridge runs over Whatcom Creek on Prospect and Dupont Streets.
Linville will work with the City Council on the next steps of historical preservation.
Until a decision is made, the signs will stay down.
