Should "Negro Mountain" be renamed "Nemesis Mountain?"
One lawmaker has been pushing to change the name of "Negro Mountain" in Pennsylvania, first introducing a bill to
change the name in 2007:
Rep. Rosita Youngblood (D), who is the first African-American woman to hold a leadership position in the state’s general assembly, said she didn't believe it when her granddaughter and son told her years ago about Negro Mountain.
“I said, ‘There is no such thing as Negro Mountain in Pennsylvania,’” she told The Huffington Post Monday.
How did it get the name to begin with?
The most commonly accepted historical account as to how Negro Mountain received its name can be traced to the 1750s. Colonel Thomas Cresap and his black body-servant, “Nemesis,” were tracking a group of American Indians who some say had attacked a settlement near present-day Oldtown in Allegany County. It was said a family had been murdered and horses stolen. Others write Nemesis was requested to accompany a ranging party that regularly scouted the frontier in order to protect homes from attack. Either way, Nemesis had a premonition he would not return.
One evening while cleaning his weapon, Nemesis told Cresap that he would not be coming back. Cresap thought Nemesis was afraid, or going to runaway. He “jestingly” offered Nemesis the opportunity to remain behind with the women if he was afraid. Nemesis replied he was not scared, but simply stating a fact. Cresap’s party pursued the Indians over present-day Savage and Meadow Mountains, to the next mountain where a fierce battle ensured. Nemesis fought bravely, was killed, and buried on the site.
Cresap named the mountain in honor of Nemesis’ race and it has ever since been known as “Negro Mountain.” Nemesis was said to have been a large and powerfully built man. “Negro Mountain” remains a memorial and historic tribute to the presence of this black frontiersman.
The idea is
finally gaining steam:
Youngblood’s spokesman Bill Thomas said, remarkably, it’s taken eight years of the resolution being introduced every year, and finally they’ve figured out how it needs to get done. Thomas said Youngblood never received a response from the Gov. Tom Corbett administration when they asked for assistance researching how to go about changing the name.
But Gov. Tom Wolf has been been in office just 28 days and has already provided guidance for Youngblood — representatives from his administration found that the federal geological survey actually has to rename it. Youngblood’s resolution was amended this year so that if the state government passes it, it will simply urge the feds to change the name.
She'll need some help from her Maryland counterparts because the range extends into Maryland, and she's met some
resistance along the way, but she's not giving up:
“I think about [how] I made a commitment to my son and my granddaughter that I would get the name changed, and that’s why I’m still working on this,” she said. “It’s important that they see that we can make some changes here in Pennsylvania.”