Commission recommends Naval Academy rename 2 buildings and 1 road honoring Confederates
BALTIMORE -- A commission tasked with reviewing military property honoring members of the Confederacy has recommended the U.S. Naval Academy rename two buildings and a road on its Annapolis campus.
Buchanan House, the superintendent's quarters, and Buchanan Road are both named for Franklin Buchanan, who joined the Confederate Navy during the Civil War, rising to the rank of admiral, according to a report from the Naming Commission.
"Under his command in several naval battles, his efforts killed hundreds of U.S. Navy sailors," the commission wrote.
Maury Hall is named for Matthew Fontaine Maury, who served in the Navy for three decades and was a pioneer in oceanography and climatology.
But he "viewed African Americans as unworthy of life, liberty, or the pursuit of happiness," the commission wrote, and envisioned territories in Central and South America serving as a place "where enslaved humans would produce commodity crops like cotton, rubber, and sugar."
During the Civil War, Maury tried to lobby European countries to recognize the Confederacy and bought warships for its navy.
Making the changes would cost an estimated $27,000, according to the report.
The commission did not recommend changes to a column in Memorial Hall with the names of graduates who died in battle, including Confederate sailors.
"The roll call simply states Confederate or U.S. service after the graduate's name," the commission said. "Due to the limited factual nature of the roll call, the Commission believes it may remain as structured."
The Naming Commission for the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York, calling on the institution to remove a portrait of Gen. Robert E. Lee wearing his Confederate uniform and other landmarks referencing Confederate officers.
Images and references to Lee reflecting his time time as superintendent of the academy can reman, the commission said.
In May, the congressionally mandated commission made recommendations for nine military bases.
A final report is due to Congress in October, and it will then go to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
