Politics & Government
Austin Streets Honoring Confederacy Figures To Be Renamed
Robert E. Lee Road will be renamed in honor of Azie Taylor Morton, Jeff Davis Avenue to be relabeled in tribute to William Holland.
AUSTIN, TX — Austin City Council members unanimously voted on Thursday to rename two Austin streets named after Confederate figures Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis.
As a result of council action, Robert E. Lee Road will be renamed in honor of Azie Taylor Morton, the nation's first and only black U.S. treasurer who grew up and attended college in Austin. The formal name of the artery running along Barton Creek in the Zilker neighborhood will be Azie Morton Road.
In addition, Jeff Davis Avenue in the Brentwood neighborhood in North Austin named after the president of the Confederacy will be renamed to honor William Holland, the late African American Travis County commissioner who served in the state Legislature. Holland also founded the precursor to the Texas School for the Blind in 1887.
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The vote to rename the streets was 10-0. Council member Ellen Troxclair was absent.
>>> Photos of Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis via New York Public Library Digital Collections, public domain
Find out what's happening in Austinfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
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