WINDSOR, Vt. (AP) — A Vermont town is considering renaming a street that honors a prominent former resident, who also illegally owned a slave.
The local governing board of Windsor, Vermont, is scheduled Tuesday to discuss whether to rename Jacob Street, named after lawyer and politician Stephen Jacob.
Jacob purchased and owned a Black slave, Dinah Mason, who he later abandoned when she became ill, the Valley News reported. The town of Windsor sued Jacob in 1802, alleging he was responsible for her care.
The case against Jacob eventually made it to Vermont’s Supreme Court, which ruled in his favor. At the time of the ruling, Jacob was a member of the court, though he had recused himself from hearing the appeal.
Vermont’s constitution was written in Windsor in 1777 and had outlawed slavery for adults.
Historical records show Jacob was among multiple prominent Vermont residents who bought and held slaves illegally, Harvey Amani Whitfield, professor of history at the University of Vermont, told the Vermont Digger in 2016.
A nonprofit dedicated to historic preservation in Windsor put up a marker outside of Jacob’s historic home honoring Mason on Juneteenth this year.
(Copyright (c) 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)