Center Cross in Essex County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Thomas Washington Lynched

Photographed by Gene R. Quarles, December 18, 2021

1. Thomas Washington Lynched Marker

Inscription. Thomas Washington, an African American man, was lynched on 23 March 1896 for allegedly attempting to assault the young daughter of a prominent white citizen. A boy found Washington’s body hanging from a tree about 1/8 mile southwest of here. A coroner’s jury did not identify the killers. The body, buried near the tree, was later given a proper burial by relatives. This was the only documented lynching in Essex County. The case attracted publicity across the state, but no one was ever brought to justice. More than 4,000 lynchings took place in the U.S. between 1877 and 1950; more than 100 people, primarily African American men, were lynched in Virginia.

Erected 2021 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number O-79.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: African Americans. A significant historical date for this entry is March 23, 1896.

Location. 37° 48.475′ N, 76° 47.307′ W. Marker is in Center Cross, Virginia, in Essex County. It is on Tidewater Trail (U.S. 17) west of Forest Grove Road (Virginia Route 718), on the right when traveling east. Located in front of the Tappahannock-Essex Vol. Fire & Rescue

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Station 2. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 31248 Tidewater Trail, Center Cross VA 22437, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Virginia’s Middle Peninsula.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in the Tidewater,

and in the Chesapeake Bay Region.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

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,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Angel Visit Baptist Church (approx. 1.6 miles away); Mann Meeting House (approx. 2.2 miles away); Site of Rappahannock Industrial Academy (approx. 2.3 miles away); Rappahannock Industrial Academy (approx. 2.3 miles away); Old Folks Home (approx. 2.3 miles away); Fort Lowry - Camp Byron (approx. 4 miles away); Middlesex County / Essex County (approx. 5

Photographed by Bessida Cauthorne White, April 16, 2022

2. Thomas Washington Lynched Marker

miles away); Fort Lowry (approx. 6 miles away).

Another marker is no longer nearby. Glebe Landing Church (was approx. 5.8 miles away but has been confirmed missing).

Credits. This page was last revised on March 5, 2024. It was originally submitted on January 26, 2022, by Bessida Cauthorne White of Jamaica, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,749 times since then and 107 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on January 26, 2022, by Bessida Cauthorne White of Jamaica, Virginia. 2. submitted on April 17, 2022, by Bessida Cauthorne White of Jamaica, Virginia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.