Canton Dedicates New MLK Jr. Boulevard

CANTON, GA — Canton elected officials, stakeholders and residents braved the cold weather Saturday to celebrate the renaming of a street to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The city held a dedication ceremony Nov. 10 that renamed a portion of Riverstone Boulevard to honor the well-known American civil rights leaders.

Members of the Canton Police Department, Mayor Gene Hobgood, City Manager Billy Peppers and members of the Canton City Council were joined by dozens of residents and members of area churches for Saturday's dedication.

The push to rename this short stretch of road was led by members of some of Canton's historically black churches, namely Bishop Charles Gearing Jr. of Zion Canton Lighthouse Church and Rev. Tyrone Gates of Mt. Calvary Baptist Church, who also attended Saturday's ceremony.

City Council members at their Sept. 20 meeting voted to rename Riverstone Boulevard to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The affected segment runs from the intersection with Bluffs Parkway — at the Sears store — westbound to its Reinhardt College Parkway intersection.

Canton notes there are no addresses issued along this stretch of the Boulevard that would be affected by the change, and the road is near the Hickory Log Creek Cemetery and historic black farmlands.

This street in Canton is the first in Cherokee County to bear Dr. King's name, as no other roads have this designation.

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Images via Canton Police Department