Victim ID: VA1896032301
Victim Name: Thomas Washington
Race: Black
Sex: Male
Age: Unknown
Job: Unknown
Method of Death: Hanged
Accusation: Attempted criminal assault on a young girl, daughter of a prominent citizen
Date: 1896-03-23
City: Center Cross
Mob Composition: Unknown
Summary: On March 23rd, 1896, a black man, Thomas Washington, was lynched in Essex County because he was accused of having attempted to assault a young girl of a prominent white citizen.
Thomas Washington allegedly tried to assault the 9-year-old daughter of a prominent white citizen in Essex County. On the night of March 23rd, 1896, Washington was hanged to a tree on the public road between Cedar Fork and Center Cross, south of Tappahannock. The coroner jury viewed the remains of Washington and found that he came to his death by hanging in a tree by the hands of unknown parties. The lynching of Thomas Washington was the first to occur since the election of Governor O’Farrell (Richmond Planet).
In December 2021, an historical marker was unveiled in Center Cross, Essex County, to memorialize Thomas Washington. The marker reads: “Thomas Washington, an African American man, was lynched on 23 March 1896 for allegedly attempting to assault the young daughter of a prominent white citizen. A boy found Washington’s body hanging from a tree about 1/8 mile southwest of here. A coroner’s jury did not identify the killers. The body, buried near the tree, was later given a proper burial by relatives. This was the only documented lynching in Essex County. The case attracted publicity across the state, but no one was ever brought to justice. More than 4,000 lynchings took place in the U.S. between 1877 and 1950; more than 100 people, primarily African American men, were lynched in Virginia.”
News Coverage: Free Lance-Star, Richmond Dispatch, Richmond Planet, Staunton Spectator
Article Link (from Richmond Dispatch published on 1896-03-29)
Article Link (from Richmond Planet published on 1896-03-28)
Article Link (from Richmond Planet published on 1896-04-04)
Article Link (from Staunton Spectator published on 1896-04-01)
The boy mentioned in the article who found Mr Washington hanging from this tree was my great grandfather who was on horseback going to school. The justice of the peace mentioned was his grandfather. It’s a family oral history story passed down that has haunted me. To read these articles is horrific. Thank you for this project.
I’d love to hear more about this. Thomas Washington was over 90 years old when his murder occurred? How old was he when he assaulted the little girl in 1896?
Dear Jessica, we don’t know the exact age of Thomas Washington when he was lynched. We also do not know if he actually tried to assault the girl, as he never received a trial.
Wow Sarah. Did they ever mention how old/young Mr.Washington was and what actually happened?
I would love to speak to you. May I contact you? I’m a fellow Native of Essex County and historian. Please email me: jbbhistorian@gmail.com
I believe that Thomas Washington may have been my Great Great Grandfather
Hello Kristin Carter,
Our genealogy society, Middle Peninsula African-American Genealogical and Historical Society, dId research for the Thomas Washington highway marker and has been trying to find his family. Please email me at mpaaghs.va@gmail.com. We would love to correspond with you.
Sincerely, Bessida Cauthorne White