Lt. Col. Lemuel Penn and the Civil Rights Act Marker

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Near Danielsville in Madison County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)

Lt. Col. Lemuel Penn and the Civil Rights Act

By David Seibert, April 16, 2010

1. Lt. Col. Lemuel Penn and the Civil Rights Act Marker

Inscription. On the night of July 11, 1964 three African-American World War II veterans returning home following training at Ft. Benning, Georgia were noticed in Athens by local members of the Ku Klux Klan. The officers were followed to the nearby Broad River Bridge where their pursuers fired into the vehicle, killing Lt. Col. Lemuel Penn. When a local jury failed to convict the suspects of murder, the federal government successfully prosecuted the men for violations under the new Civil Rights Act of 1964, passed just nine days before Penn’s murder. The case was instrumental in the creation of a Justice Department task force whose work culminated in the Civil Rights Act of 1968.

Erected 2006 by Georgia Historical Society, Lemuel Penn Memorial Committee, and Colbert Grove Baptist Church. (Marker Number 97-1.)

Location. 34° 9.38′ N, 83° 5.046′ W. Marker is near Danielsville, Georgia, in Madison County. Marker is at the intersection of Georgia Route 172 and Roy Wood Road on State Route 172. Click for map. The marker is at the Elbert County Line, at the Broad River. Marker is in this post office area: Danielsville GA 30633, United States of America.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 10 miles of this marker, as the crow flies. William Bartram Trail (approx. 4.7 miles away); Crawford W. Long (approx. 8.1 miles away); Madison County (approx. 8.1 miles away); Crawford W Long M D (approx. 8.1 miles away); Stinchcomb Methodist Church (approx. 8.1 miles away); Crawford Long Birthsite (approx. 8.2 miles away); Watson Mill Bridge (approx. 9 miles away); Ty Cobb (approx. 9.1 miles away). Click for a list of all markers in Danielsville.

By David Seibert, April 16, 2010

2. Lt. Col. Lemuel Penn and the Civil Rights Act Marker

Also see . . . Lemuel Penn Murder from The New Georgia Encyclopedia. (Submitted on April 29, 2010, by David Seibert of Sandy Springs, Georgia.)

Additional keywords. Murder

By David Seibert, April 16, 2010

3. Lt. Col. Lemuel Penn and the Civil Rights Act Marker

Looking east on Georgia Highway 172 to the bridge over the Broad River, site of the murder

By David Seibert, April 16, 2010

4. Lt. Col. Lemuel Penn and the Civil Rights Act Marker

Looking west on Georgia Highway 172 toward Athens; Col. Penn and the other two Army Officers came from this direction.

Credits. This page originally submitted on April 17, 2010, by David Seibert of Sandy Springs, Georgia. This page has been viewed 1,427 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on April 17, 2010, by David Seibert of Sandy Springs, Georgia. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.