Lynching in America / Lynching in Union County after 1877

Marker Text: Lynchings by white mobs continued for decades as a tool of racial terrorism to maintain white supremacy. On June 26, 1889, a white mob lynched Andrew McKnight in a Black church cemetery near Kelton, after he was accused of making inappropriate comments towards white women. In January of 1900, Rufus Salter, a young prosperous Black farmer accused of arson, was lynched at his home near West Springs. Weeks later, a Governor’s proclamation implied he was innocent. In June 1906, Mose Hughes was lynched and his bound body was thrown into the Tyger River near Delta. One of the lynchers later declared, “This looks like a white man’s country now.” In 1930, law enforcement failed to prevent the lynching of Dan Jenkins, a 23-year-old Black man. Mr. Jenkins’s body was riddled with 500 bullets on Santuc Road, after a white woman accused him of assault, despite no investigation or fair trial. Black people faced a presumption of guilt after any allegation of wrongdoing and were frequently deprived of equal protection under the law. Public officials, media, and the legal system allowed white people to kill with impunity, intending to create an atmosphere of terror. Black leaders like Rev. A.A. Sims and Dr. L.W. Long organized resistance including establishing a Black high school, a Black community hospital, and Black businesses in response to racial inequities. Churches became the cornerstone for Black resilience and still are to this day.