Sundance Square in Fort Worth in Tarrant County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Racial Terrorism: The Abduction of Mr. Fred Rouse
Photographed By QuesterMark
1. Racial Terrorism: The Abduction of Mr. Fred Rouse Marker
On Tuesday, December 6, 1921, Mr. Fred Rouse, an African-American husband, father of three, and non-union butcher for Swift & Co., was attacked by white union strikers and agitators in the Niles City Stockyards (now part of Fort Worth). Mr. Rouse sustained stab wounds and broken bones. His skull was fractured in two places. He was then brought here to the basement Negro Ward of the former city & county hospital. At 11pm on Sunday, December 11, 1921, a mob of ~30 white men arrived at the hospital, forced their way past the superintendent, surgeon, and night nurse, entered the Negro Ward, and tore Mr. Rouse from his corner cot. When the nurse called their attention to the fact that he had no clothes, they jokingly replied that "He would not need any." The mob abducted Mr. Rouse from the hospital "almost in a run." They forced him into a car and drove north on Samuels Ave. to meet another group of white men at the corner of NE 12th St. There Mr. Rouse was hanged from a hackberry tree. His body was riddled with bullets. A bloody pistol was left under his feet. Three white men were charged in the murder of Mr. Rouse, including the acting Niles City police chief and another officer. No one was ever convicted. Our community memorializes Mr. Fred Rouse as a call to remain vigilant in the pursuit of racial justice.
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The Rouse Family
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Heritage Trails 2021
Erected 2021 by Fort Worth Heritage Trails.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Law Enforcement. A significant historical date for this entry is December 11, 1921.
Location. 32° 45.329′ N, 97° 19.736′ W. Marker is in Fort Worth, Texas, in Tarrant County. It is in Sundance Square. Marker is at the intersection of East 4th Street and Jones Street, on the left when traveling west on East 4th Street. This marker stands at the northeast corner of the Maddox-Muse Building. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Fort Worth TX 76102, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Site of the Fort Worth Medical College (a few steps from this marker); First Methodist Church Building (within shouting distance of this marker); Mt. Gilead Baptist Church (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Grand United Order of Odd Fellows, Lodge No. 2144 (about 500 feet away); Land Title Building (about 600 feet away); Opera Houses & Theaters (about 700 feet away); Grand Hotels (about 800 feet away); Blackstone Hotel (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Fort Worth.
Photographed By QuesterMark, May 5, 2022
2. Racial Terrorism: The Abduction of Mr. Fred Rouse Marker
Mr. Rouse’s marker is to the left, by the tree. The marker on the far right is the “Site of the Fort Worth Medical College” Texas Historical Marker.
