What’s in a name?

William Shakespeare pondered the question centuries ago when he wrote in Romeo and Juliet, &uot;That which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet.&uot;

The brouhaha last week over the Historic Society’s new sign at The Foundry is a prime example that old Bill knew exactly of which he wrote.

Lost in the fervor over an apparent name change is the time, effort and money the Society has happily given to make sure the building, whatever we call it, lasts.

And that’s the most important thing.

Before the society invested in the building, it was rundown, a wasted space and an eyesore.

Now a walk along the grounds shows a new roof, a comfortable pea-gravel covered floor and a comely brick walkway leading into the building.

Inside, the hulks of machinery are being organized and prepared for display, a fitting tribute to the workers that spent the better part of their lives in toil.

The grounds are freshly shorn and the swamp-like overgrowth that used to cover the building is a thing of the past.

At issue was the old sign in front of the building, put up nearly a decade ago.

The sign identified the building as the Confederate Foundry.

The sign, which had faded with the years spent in the Alabama sunshine, needed to be replaced.

A decade’s worth of research made it apparent to the Society that the first sign was wrong.

The actual Confederate Foundry building was across Mulberry near the current site of the Old Depot Museum.

The Society has maps and deeds that back up the new information.

Whether we like what it tells us or not, it’s important that preservation be done according to the facts of the historical record.

In the end, the City of Selma, will have a shiny, restored attraction for the annual Pilgrimage in March.

It will be a showpiece for our town and it’s history.

To us, that smells pretty sweet.