Roswell in Fulton County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)
Lynching in America / Lynching of Mack Henry Brown
Community Remembrance Project
Photographed By Mark Hilton, April 25, 2021
1. Lynching in America Marker
Inscription.
Lynching in America, also, Lynching of Mack Henry Brown. Community Remembrance Project.
Lynching in America. Racial terror lynching claimed the lives of thousands of African Americans and created a legacy of injustice that can still be felt today. After slavery ended, many white people remained committed to racial hierarchy and used lethal violence and terror against Black communities to maintain a racial, economic and social order that oppressed and marginalized Black people. Lynching became the most public and notorious form of racial terrorism and was generally tolerated by law enforcement and elected officials who were complicit in these tragedies. Many African Americans were lynched after exercising their civil rights, defying racial social customs, engaging in interracial relationships, or being accused of crimes, even when there was no evidence to support the accusation. Denied equal protection under the law, lynching victims were regularly pulled from jails, prisons, courtrooms, or out of police custody by white mobs that faced no legal repercussions. Many Black people like Mack Henry Brown were lynched for alleged social transgressions with no allegation of any legitimate crime. Racial terror lynchings often included burnings and mutilation, sometimes in front of crowds numbering in the thousands. Although many victims of racial terror lynching will never be known, at least 594 racial terror lynchings have been documented in Georgia between 1877 and 1950. with at least 36 victims in Fulton County.
Lynching of Mack Henry Brown. On December 23, 1936, the body of a 40-year-old Black man who had been lynched named Mack Henry Brown was found floating at the confluence of Roswell’s Vickery Creek and the Chattahoochee River. Mr. Brown, who lived and worked at an apartment house in Atlanta, had been missing for over a month. Before his disappearance, a white man and his wife filed a complaint against Mr. Brown to the police, alleging that Mr. Brown kissed the wife’s hand after making repairs in their apartment. It was later reported that, on the night of November 13, a group of white men came to Mr. Brown’s apartment and abducted him. When Mr. Brown’s body was found on December 23, he was handcuffed and his feet were bound with wire. Though the date and precise location of his lynching were not determined, a coroner’s jury concluded that Mr. Brown died as a result of two bullets fired into his body. In this era, accusations against Black men and boys involving white women regularly provoked violent retaliation. Even minor interactions perceived as violations of the racial hierarchy could result in mob lawlessness and lynchings that traumatized and terrified the entire Black community. Two men were questioned about Mr. Brown’s lynching, but no one was ever charged or held accountable for his death. Memorializing lynching victims like Mack Henry Brown reminds us of our history of racial injustice and the need to remain persistent in the pursuit of equal justice. . This historical marker was erected in 2021 by Equal Justice Initiative, Fulton County Remembrance Coalition.. It is in Roswell in Fulton County Georgia
Lynching in America
Racial terror lynching claimed the lives of thousands of African
Americans and created a legacy of injustice that can still be felt
today. After slavery ended, many white people remained committed
to racial hierarchy and used lethal violence and terror against Black
communities to maintain a racial, economic and social order that
oppressed and marginalized Black people. Lynching became the most
public and notorious form of racial terrorism and was generally
tolerated by law enforcement and elected officials who were complicit
in these tragedies. Many African Americans were lynched after
exercising their civil rights, defying racial social customs, engaging
in interracial relationships, or being accused of crimes, even when
there was no evidence to support the accusation. Denied equal
protection under the law, lynching victims were regularly pulled
from jails, prisons, courtrooms, or out of police custody by white
mobs that faced no legal repercussions. Many Black people like
Mack Henry Brown were lynched for alleged social transgressions
with no allegation of any legitimate
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crime. Racial terror lynchings
often included burnings and mutilation, sometimes in front of crowds
numbering in the thousands. Although many victims of racial terror
lynching will never be known, at least 594 racial terror lynchings have
been documented in Georgia between 1877 and 1950. with at least
36 victims in Fulton County.
Lynching of Mack Henry Brown
On December 23, 1936, the body of a 40-year-old Black man who had been lynched named Mack Henry Brown was found floating at the confluence of Roswell’s Vickery Creek and the Chattahoochee River. Mr. Brown, who lived and worked at an apartment house in Atlanta, had been missing for over a month. Before his disappearance, a white man and his wife filed a complaint against Mr. Brown to the police, alleging that Mr. Brown kissed the wife’s hand after making repairs in their apartment. It was later reported that, on the night of November 13, a group of white men came to Mr. Brown’s apartment and abducted him. When Mr. Brown’s body was found on December 23, he was handcuffed and his feet were bound with wire. Though the date and precise location of his lynching were not determined, a coroner’s jury concluded that Mr. Brown died as a result of two bullets fired into his body. In this era, accusations against Black men and boys involving white women regularly provoked violent retaliation. Even
Photographed By Mark Hilton, April 25, 2021
2. Lynching of Mack Henry Brown Marker
minor interactions perceived as violations of the racial hierarchy could result in mob lawlessness and lynchings that traumatized and terrified the entire Black community. Two men were questioned about Mr. Brown’s lynching, but no one was ever charged or held accountable for his death. Memorializing lynching victims like Mack Henry Brown reminds us of our history of racial injustice and the need to remain persistent in the pursuit of equal justice.
Erected 2021 by Equal Justice Initiative, Fulton County Remembrance Coalition.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights. In addition, it is included in the Lynching in America series list. A significant historical date for this entry is November 13, 1877.
Location. 34° 0.351′ N, 84° 20.932′ W. Marker is in Roswell, Georgia, in Fulton County. Marker can be reached from Riverside Road, half a mile east of Roswell Road, on the right when traveling east. Located in Riverside Park along the Roswell Riverside Park Trail. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 575 Riverside Rd, Roswell GA 30075, United States of America. Touch for directions.
More about this marker. Located behind the Fulton County Water Treatment Facility, but best access is west of the Riverside Park parking lot, along the Roswell Riverwalk Trail.
4. Looking from bridge over the Big Creek north to the marker.
Credits. This page was last revised on April 25, 2021. It was originally submitted on April 25, 2021, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 464 times since then and 211 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on April 25, 2021, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.
