New Richmond in St. Croix County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Civil Rights Workers

— John Doar History Trail —

Photographed by Fitzie Heimdahl, March 30, 2020

1. Civil Rights Workers Marker

Inscription. John prosecuted two important civil rights cases involving murder. In 1965, he led the successful prosecution of the members of Ku Klux Klan who had participated in the murder of Viola Liuzzo who was killed in the hours after the Selma march.

In 1967, he successfully prosecuted the Klan members who had participated in the murder in Neshoba County, Mississippi of three young civil rights workers–Andrew Goodman, James Chaney, and Michael Schwerner.

Convictions in those cases–before southern judges and southern juries–were key turning points in the civil rights movement.

(Photo caption:) An FBI poster seeks the missing workers Andrew Goodman, James Chaney, and Michael Schwerner. Goodman, 20, and Schwerner, 24, were New Yorkers who came to Mississippi as part of the "Freedom Summer" drive for Black voter registration; James Chaney, 21, was a local activist with the Congress on Racial Equality (CORE).

Erected 2017.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights. A significant historical year for this entry is 1965.

Location. 45° 7.417′ N, 92° 32.303′ W. Marker

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is in New Richmond, Wisconsin, in St. Croix County. It can be reached from North Knowles Avenue 0.1 miles north of 1st Street. Located along Mill Pond Walk in Mill Pond Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 215 N Knowles Ave, New Richmond WI 54017, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area

and in Western Wisconsin. It is also in the American Midwest,

on the Great Lakes,

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Civil Rights Struggle (within shouting distance of this marker); Nixon Impeachment (within shouting distance of this marker); Medal of Freedom (within shouting distance of this marker); The Right to Vote (within shouting distance of this marker); Childhood (within shouting distance of this marker); John Doar (about 400 feet away, measured

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in a direct line); Paperjack Creek (approx. 0.9 miles away); Bell-Tierney Farmhouse (approx. 0.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in New Richmond.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 31, 2020, by Fitzie Heimdahl of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 296 times since then and 20 times this year. Photo 1. submitted on March 31, 2020, by Fitzie Heimdahl of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. • Mark Hilton was the editor who published this page.

Editor’s want-list for this marker. A wide shot of the marker and its surroundings. • Can you help?