Smothered by Silas
Silas Burke’s name is unavoidable in the Virginia town named for him. We’re smothered by it:
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15 streets
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5 strip malls
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5 housing developments
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3 public parks
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a lake
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a public par-3 golf course
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a public school
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a train station
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a post office
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the Burke Centre Conservancy HOA
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his preserved plantation home
This doesn’t include churches and businesses with “Burke” in their names.
And then there’s the “Silas Burke House.” History-minded locals have maintained his plantation mansion, and they open it a few times each year. There were originally two shacks on the property for the enslaved workers, but no one preserved them.
That house should remain right where it is and keep its name. We need to look at people like Silas Burke from time to time. That’s how we avoid thinking about other human beings the way he did.
