City clerk: Lindsay Point plaque contains inaccurate, offensive language; staff to pursue policy for removal or replacement

City Clerk Catherine Roland told the Stockton City Cultural Heritage Board that the California historical landmark plaque referencing Lindsay Point on the front of City Hall contains inaccurate and offensive language, is not at its intended location, and is actively degrading.

Roland said the plaque’s original application dates to 1934 but that the marker was not cast and installed until about 1969; the installed text differs from the original application and includes language the clerk described as “pretty offensive,” citing an added sentence stating someone “was later murdered by Indians and buried here by travelers.” Roland said the California Office of Historic Preservation (OHP) reviewed the matter and that at least one of the city’s options is off the table. She told the board the OHP indicated a Tule hut (the plaque’s subject) would not be approved as a historic landmark in its current form, and that any move would require a more focused application emphasizing Lindsay Point or Thomas Lindsay’s significance.

Roland said the plaque is improperly sited — the marker should be located near the fire alarm dispatch building at Lindsay Point rather than on City Hall — and that the physical plaque is deteriorated, with graffiti, mold in the mortar, and loose attachment that could be removed easily. She said the city will soon vacate much of the building, reducing informal oversight of the plaque’s condition.

The staff report found the city does not have an existing policy addressing removal or replacement of state or national historic plaques attached to city-owned buildings. Roland said staff intends to take proposed code or policy language to the City Council’s Legislation Committee (referred to in the meeting as the “ledge committee”) and that the cultural heritage board would be asked to provide recommendations once the code changes are drafted. She estimated, from a prior estimate two years earlier, that recasting a plaque would cost about $7,000; she also noted the original marker cost “just under $300” when it was produced decades ago.

Board members asked about retention of application files and physical plaques. Roland and other staff said the original state application is on file, and that city staff hold plaques in storage in at least one instance but that the city does not maintain a comprehensive inventory of local, state or national plaques in Stockton. Roland said state and national plaque maintenance is typically the responsibility of the property owner, though the city has paid for some plaques in the past and would need a local policy to determine when it would intervene.

During public comment, resident Robert Holzer also raised unrelated concerns about a small stable building near Pershing and the Calaveras River that he said a railroad had demolished; Roland said she believed the railroad removed that structure and that staff may follow up. Holzer also praised the board and noted he planned to apply for appointment now that term limits had been removed.

Next steps described by staff: bring draft code/policy language to the City Council Legislation Committee for consideration and then return recommended language and options for plaque removal, replacement or relocation to the Cultural Heritage Board for advice and a recommendation. Staff said relocating the plaque to Lindsay Point would likely require a new or revised OHP application and additional monument costs beyond plaque casting.