Lack of plaque
The question was asked what other Charlottesville legends deserve memorial signs [“City asks N.Y. Giants for sign money,” Government News, October 21, 2008].
To complete the Lewis and Clark statue on Main Street, we need a sign near the statue to complete the whole story. A black slave named York was on that mission.
Recently, I wrote a letter to The Daily Progress asking for a plaque to be erected at that statue. So far, no luck.
Captain Clark never granted York his freedom, but he was given permission to settle in Louisville, Kentucky. He died in Tennessee (year I don’t know).
Evelyn Barbour
Charlottesville
Trust issues
Sorry, but I wouldn’t trust Wikipedia on any subject [“CAAR to write neighborhood Wiki entries,” Development News, October 28, 2008]. It doesn’t have the solid references that make its information credible. Without verifiable references, it is a collection of opinions.
So, to answer your latest question in C-VILLE: No, I wouldn’t trust a Wiki report authored by CAAR.
H.C. Miller, M.D.
Albemarle County
CAAR wreck
Would I trust a Wikipedia entry written by CAAR on my neighborhood—or on any other neighborhood for that matter? [“CAAR to write neighborhood Wiki entries,” Development News, October 28, 2008]. Absolutely not. Two reasons:
• CAAR members consistently demonstrate via their advertisements and other publications comprehensive ignorance of both local history and architectural history. They regularly mangle people and place names, building and event dates, building styles, et alia. When corrected, they too often respond with some variant on “Whatever.”
• The CAAR project would undoubtedly adopt as its template for city neighborhoods the city-imposed map of capital-N neighborhoods. In many cases, those entities ignore local history and resident loyalties. In some cases, they actually contradict those vital elements of natural, organically formed neighborhoods.
Created for the convenience of city staff, this system of planning districts has been adopted by elected officials as a de facto political ward system for the doling out (or not) of public resources and as a mechanism for distancing themselves from direct public access. They have done that despite a city charter offering no provision for such governmental subdivisions. These artificial lines that divide real community should be erased, not reinforced by Wiki-fication.
Antoinette W. Roades
Charlottesville