Binghamton Honors Reverend Major Barnett With Street Sign

A street sign at Carroll and Susquehanna Streets now recognizes the late civic leader and Binghamton's first Black city employee.

Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Civic

Plain metal street sign post at an empty downtown corner in a small northeastern city, with brick storefronts and bare trees behind it. — Family members unveiled a street sign honoring the late Reverend Major Barnett Senior, Binghamton's first Black city employee, at Carroll and Susquehanna Streets downtown. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Family members of the late Reverend Major Barnett Senior unveiled a street sign in his honor at the corner of Carroll and Susquehanna Streets in downtown Binghamton. The city recognized Barnett for his public service, civil rights advocacy, and community leadership.

Why it matters

The honor marks the contributions of a figure who broke barriers as the city's first Black employee and shaped local public spaces. It also gives residents a lasting public reminder of his work in Binghamton.

The honor follows Barnett's arrival in Binghamton in the mid-1960s, when he went on to work in the Parks Department and oversee Columbus Park, later renamed Center City Park. No additional quantitative measures were reported for the recognition.

The players

Major Barnett Senior

Reverend Major Barnett Senior was a civic leader and civil rights advocate who served as Binghamton's first Black city employee.

Frank Barnett

Frank Barnett is the Senior Pastor at House of Worship in Binghamton and a family member of the honoree.

City of Binghamton

The City of Binghamton is the municipal government of the city in New York's Southern Tier that recognized Barnett's service.

The details

Family members of the late Reverend Major Barnett Senior unveiled the sign, which hangs at the corner of Carroll and Susquehanna Streets. Barnett, who was Binghamton's first Black employee, dedicated his life to public service, civil rights, and community leadership.

Mid-1960s: Barnett comes to Binghamton.
November 3, 2026: Family unveils the street sign honoring Barnett.

Civic Legacy

Barnett's oversight of Columbus Park, later renamed Center City Park, links the street sign to the city's public park system he helped manage after arriving in the mid-1960s. The honor places his name alongside the civic spaces he shaped in Binghamton.

Residents passing the corner of Carroll and Susquehanna Streets in downtown Binghamton will see a sign recognizing a local civic figure. The marker offers a visible point of reference for the city's history of public service and civil rights leadership.

The takeaway

Public markers like this street sign preserve the stories of local leaders whose work shaped their communities. Residents can look to such recognitions to learn who built the civic spaces around them.