Two bald eagles nesting on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, might be the most famous eagles in the Southeast, and it's all thanks to an "eagle cam" set up by the Hilton Head Island Trust after longtime South Carolina resident Russell Patterson found the nest in October.
The land trust recently launched a name the eagle contest where they asked the public to help name the large birds. Over 400 submissions across the country were received, and they announced Tuesday that Harriet and Mitch were picked by the executive committee in tribute to abolitionist Harriet Tubman and American Civil War Gen. Ormsby M. Mitchel.
Tubman and Mitchel were both leaders in emancipation efforts with historical ties to the Lowcountry. In a press release by the land trust, they pointed out that Tubman spent time in Beaufort County during the Civil War as a nurse and a spy for the Union Army. Along with 150 African-American Union soldiers, she led the Combahee River Raid and helped free more than 700 people. She led 100 of those freed to Mitchelville, South Carolina, a town developed by Mitchel for formerly enslaved people.
"It was important for us to honor the history of Hilton Head Island and two icons in American Freedom, with Freedom being synonymous with the eagles," treasurer Robin Storey said.
Credit: Jenny Burdette Photography/GNPA
Credit: Jenny Burdette Photography/GNPA
Names have power, and Harriet and Mitch are basking in it.
You can keep up with the stars of the show on the Hilton Head Island Trust website at hhilandtrust.org/eagle-cam.
Laura Nwogu is the quality of life reporter for Savannah Morning News. Contact her at lnwogu@gannett.com. Twitter: @lauranwogu_
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: The Hilton Head eagles have landed, and they're named after an abolitionist and a general
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