A reddit was posted that brought up a piece of Maine's history that may not be known and maybe should be thought about in light about the increasing racial tensions in the United States.

The reddit post was submitted by schreckenghast666 and brings up an interesting point.  It reads:

I live in Waldo County, a mostly rural section of mid coast Maine. It’s named after Samuel Waldo, a wealthy merchant who owned wide swaths of Maine in the early 1700’s.

Samuel Waldo was also a notorious slave trader and owner of the ship “Africa”, which ferried human cargo across the Atlantic Ocean. The “Africa” was infamous for its brutality and disregard for the basic humanity of the men, women, and children its crew held in shackles onboard.

Given the times we live in, should we change the name of Waldo County to something more deserving? Waldoboro is also named for the slave trader as well.

I’m not trying to be politically correct, but it bothers me that a man that became wealthy by selling human beings is honored in perpetuity.

No, I’m not moving away.

Thoughts?

Apparently, records in the State of Maine have shown that Samuel Waldo, for whom Waldo County and the town of Waldo are named, was part owner of a slave ship called Africa as well as a documented slave owner and utilized slave work throughout his industries here in Maine.

So, with this in mind, do you think Waldo County should be renamed?

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