Walnut Street Bridge
City Council members indicated they are not favorable to changing the name of the Walnut Street Bridge.
An out-of-town attorney is among those saying it should be renamed in memory of Ed Johnson, who was lynched on the bridge after being pulled from the jail by a mob.
Council members noted that a memorial to Ed Johnson, who many now believe was innocent of the charge of raping a white woman in St. Elmo, is to be erected near the south end of the bridge.
Councilman Russell Gilbert asked other council members if they wanted to make the charge.
Council members Darrin Ledford and Erskine Oglesby said they were opposed.
No one spoke in favor.
The bridge dates to 1891. It was closed for several years and seemed destined to be torn down, then Garnet Chapin led a citizen movement to save it. He helped design a solution to reinforcing the bridge that saved millions of dollars.
Mr. Chapin, who heads up a foundation that helps maintain the bridge, said he opposes the name change. He said, "The bridge is a happy place. We will be erecting the Ed Johnson Memorial nearby to pay tribute to him. But the bridge itself should not be a place where we focus on past misdeeds."