Oxford in Butler County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Lynching in America / Lynchings In Oxford, OH
Community Remembrance Project
Photographed By Rev. Ronald Irick, July 27, 2021
1. Lynching In America Marker
Inscription.
Lynching in America, also, Lynchings In Oxford, OH. Community Remembrance Project.
Lynching in America.. Between 1865 to 1950, thousands of African Americans were victims of mob violence and lynching across the United States. Following the Civil War, fierce resistance to equal rights for African Americans and an ideology of white supremacy led to fatal violence against Black women, men and children. Lynching emerged as the most public and notorious form of racial terrorism, intended to intimidate Black people and reinforce racial hierarchy and segregation. Many African Americans were lynched for exercising economic freedoms, perceived violations of social customs, and accusations of crimes. White people's allegations against Black people were rarely subject to scrutiny and often sparked violent reprisal, even when there was no evidence tying the accused to any offense. Accusations against Black men by white women regularly aroused mob violence and lynching due to the pervasive false narrative labeling Black men as a danger to white womanhood. White mobs regularly displayed complete disregard for the legal system, seizing their victims from jails, prisons, courtrooms or out of police hands without fear of legal repercussions for the lynchings that followed. Over 15 victims of racial terror lynching have been documented in Ohio, with at least two known to have taken place in Butler County. Acknowledging this painful history enables us to move beyond silence towards the power of truth and reconciliation." ,
Lynchings in Oxford, OH.. During the 19th century, white mobs in Oxford lynched at least two Black men after kidnapping them from the old Town Hall Jail that stood near this site. In September 1877, a white mob stormed the jail to lynch a Black man named Simeon Garnet. Without serious investigation, Mr. Garnet had been presumed guilty of assaulting a white woman. A mob led by the woman’s husband broke into the jail on September 2 and shot Mr. Garnet, who managed to survive. Upon learning that Mr. Garnet was alive, the mob attacked the jail again on September 3, shot Mr. Garnet at close range, and dragged him outside the jail, where he was left to die. On January 14, 1892, a white mob abducted Henry Corbin, a young Black man, from the jail to lynch him. Mr. Corbin’s employer, a white woman, had been found dead in her home on January 5. A mob quickly formed when the woman’s daughter accused Mr. Corbin of the killing. Mr. Corbin’s family maintained that the accusation was false and that the daughter had implicated him to hide her own involvement in the crime. Mr. Corbin was captured after being wounded and was brought to the jail; but the mob seized Mr. Corbin from his cell, hanged him from a tree, and shot him over 400 times. Local officers failed to prevent either lynching, which terrorized Oxford’s Black community. In the end, no mob participants were held accountable for the lynchings of Simeon Garnet and Henry Corbin.
Lynching in America.
Between 1865 to 1950, thousands of African Americans were victims of mob violence and lynching across the United States. Following the Civil War, fierce resistance to equal rights for African Americans and an ideology of white supremacy led to fatal violence against Black women, men and children. Lynching emerged as the most public and notorious form of racial terrorism, intended to intimidate Black people and reinforce racial hierarchy and segregation. Many African Americans were lynched for exercising economic freedoms, perceived violations of social customs, and accusations of crimes. White people's allegations against Black people were rarely subject to scrutiny and often sparked violent reprisal, even when there was no evidence tying the accused to any offense. Accusations against Black men by white women regularly aroused mob violence and lynching due to the pervasive false narrative labeling Black men as a danger to white womanhood. White mobs regularly displayed complete disregard for the legal system, seizing their victims from jails, prisons, courtrooms or out of police hands without fear of legal repercussions for the lynchings that followed. Over 15 victims of racial terror lynching have been documented in Ohio, with at least two known to have taken place in Butler County. Acknowledging
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this painful history enables us to move beyond silence towards the power of truth and reconciliation."
Lynchings in Oxford, OH.
During the 19th century, white mobs in Oxford lynched at least two Black men after kidnapping them from the old Town Hall Jail that stood near this site. In September 1877, a white mob stormed the jail to lynch a Black man named Simeon Garnet. Without serious investigation, Mr. Garnet had been presumed guilty of assaulting a white woman. A mob led by the woman’s husband broke into the jail on September 2 and shot Mr. Garnet, who managed to survive. Upon learning that Mr. Garnet was alive, the mob attacked the jail again on September 3, shot Mr. Garnet at close range, and dragged him outside the jail, where he was left to die. On January 14, 1892, a white mob abducted Henry Corbin, a young Black man, from the jail to lynch him. Mr. Corbin’s employer, a white woman, had been found dead in her home on January 5. A mob quickly formed when the woman’s daughter accused Mr. Corbin of the killing. Mr. Corbin’s family maintained that the accusation was false and that the daughter had implicated him to hide her own involvement in the crime. Mr. Corbin was captured after being wounded and was brought to the jail; but the mob seized Mr. Corbin from his cell, hanged him from a tree, and shot him over 400 times. Local officers failed
Photographed By Rev. Ronald Irick, July 27, 2021
2. Lynchings In Oxford, Ohio Marker
to prevent either lynching, which terrorized Oxford’s Black community. In the end, no mob participants were held accountable for the lynchings of Simeon Garnet and Henry Corbin.
Erected 2021 by Equal Justice Initiative Butler County Community Remembrance Project.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Law Enforcement. In addition, it is included in the Lynching in America series list. A significant historical month for this entry is September 1877.
Location. 39° 30.639′ N, 84° 44.578′ W. Marker is in Oxford, Ohio, in Butler County. Marker is at the intersection of West High Street (U.S. 27) and West Park Place, on the right when traveling west on West High Street. Located in Doctor Martin Luther King Jr Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 10 W High St, Oxford OH 45056, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on November 15, 2021. It was originally submitted on July 28, 2021, by Rev. Ronald Irick of West Liberty, Ohio. This page has been viewed 523 times since then and 73 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on July 28, 2021, by Rev. Ronald Irick of West Liberty, Ohio. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
