MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - A college in Memphis, Tennessee, is renaming a building that honors a Confederate pastor who historical records show argued the Bible justified slavery.
The Commercial Appeal reported Sunday that Rhodes College is changing the name of Palmer Hall to Southwestern Hall. The change comes after a three-year investigation into the history of Benjamin Palmer, the first moderator of the Presbyterian Church in the Confederate States of America.
A special committee was appointed to review Palmer's legacy and found it to be "fundamentally at odds" with the college.
Rhodes President Majorie Hass and Board of Trustees Chairman Cary Fowler said in a letter that the new name honors the school's former name. The school was originally known as Southwestern Presbyterian University. It was later shortened to Southwestern.