Downtown - Waterfront in Duluth in Saint Louis County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Clayton Jackson McGhie Memorial
Photographed By Keith L, June 12, 2011
1. Clayton Jackson McGhie Marker
An event has happened, upon which it is difficult to speak and impossible to remain silent.
Elias Clayton • Elmer Jackson • Isaac McGhie
On June 15, 1920, following the alleged rape of a young woman, Duluth police locked up a number of men who worked for a travelling circus. That evening, thousands of Duluthians gathered outside the city jail. The police were under orders not to shoot, and they obeyed.
With timbers and rails as battering rams, the mob broke down the doors of the jail and staged a trial of six of the men. They convicted Elias Clayton, Elmer Jackson, and Isaac McGhie, who had been held as a witness. The crowd dragged the young men about a block, beat them as viciously as you may imagine, and hanged them from a light pole that stood diagonally across the street from where you are now. Some brave people spoke out in protest, but they were few against thousands. One man took a photograph that was later distributed as postcards. This memorial is dedicated to the memories of the murdered here and everywhere.
Erected 2003 by the Clayton Jackson McGhie Memorial Committee.
Topics. This historical marker and memorial is listed in this topic list: Law Enforcement. A significant historical month for this entry is June 1986.
Location. 46°
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Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Lynching in America / Lynching in Duluth (within shouting distance of this marker); Man, Child & Gull (approx. 0.3 miles away); Duluth Legacy (approx. 0.4 miles away); Spirit of Lake Superior (approx. half a mile away); Duluth's Ten Commandments Monument (approx. half a mile away); Great Lakes Medallions (approx. half a mile away); Fountain of the Wind (approx. half a mile away); Priley Fountain / Duluth Civic Center (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Duluth.
More about this memorial. [memorial quotations, left to right]
The truth is rarely pure, and never simple.
Oscar Wilde
Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one getting burned.
Gautama Buddha
The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.
Albert
Photographed By Keith L, June 12, 2011
2. Clayton Jackson McGhie Marker
[right plaque] Clayton Jackson McGhie Memorial · Carla J. Stetson, designer & sculptor · Anthony Peyton Porter, editor & writer · Dedicated on October 10, 2003
If you as parents cut corners, your children will too. If you lie, they will too. . . . If parents snicker at racial and gender jokes, another generation will pass on the poison adults still have not had the courage to snuff out.
Marian Wright Edelman
Forgiveness is giving up all hope of having had a better past.
Anne Lamott
Love is all we have, the only way that each can help the other.
Euripides
There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.
Elie Wiesel
Hatred can never answer hatred; all violence is injustice.
Thich Nhat Hanh
The reformative effect of punishment is a belief that dies hard, chiefly, I think, because it is so satisfying to our sadistic impulses.
Bertrand Russell
He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
We are the mirror as well as the face in it. We are tasting the taste this minute of eternity. We are pain and what cures pain. We are the sweet, cold water and the jar that pours.
Jelaluddin Rumi
We are responsible for the world in which we find ourselves, if only because we are the
Photographed By Keith L, June 12, 2011
3. Clayton Jackson McGhie Memorial
James Baldwin
A Native American elder once described his own inner struggles in this manner:
“Inside of me there are two dogs. One of the dogs is mean and evil, the other dog is good. The mean dog fights the good dog all the time.”
When asked which dog wins, he reflected for a moment and replied,
“The one I feed the most.”
George Bernard Shaw
Also see . . . Clayton Jackson McGhie Memorial. (Submitted on September 10, 2011.)
Photographed By Keith L, June 12, 2011
4. Clayton Jackson McGhie Memorial
Photographed By Keith L, June 12, 2011
5. Clayton Jackson McGhie Memorial
Photographed By Keith L, June 12, 2011
6. Donor Plaque
This memorial was made possible by:
Clayton Jackson McGhie Memorial Committee · Dedicated and Caring Citizens · The Duluth Public Arts Commission's 1% for the Arts Program · The following individual and organizational donors contributed $3000 or more to the building of the Clayton Jackson McGhie Memorial: [donors] · Our sincere gratitude to the many other individuals, families, and business organizations, faith-based organizations and foundations who made contributions.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 12, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 10, 2011, by Keith L of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 1,455 times since then and 21 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on September 10, 2011, by Keith L of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin.
