Asheville in Buncombe County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Lynching in America / The Lynching of Bob Brackett
Community Remembrance Project
Photographed By Dave W, August 27, 2022
1. Lynching in America Marker
Inscription.
Lynching in America, also, The Lynching of Bob Brackett. Community Remembrance Project.
Lynching in America. Between 1865 and 1950, thousands of African Americans were victims of mob violence and racial terror lynching across the United States. Following the Civil War, white Southerners fiercely resisted equal rights for African Americans and sought to uphold an ideology of white supremacy through intimidation and fatal violence. Lynching emerged as the most public and notorious form of racial terrorism, intended to terrorize the entire Black community with arbitrary and unpredictable mob violence. Many Black people were pulled out of jails or given over to mobs by law enforcement officials who were legally required to protect them. Public spectacle lynchings, like the lynching of Bob Brackett, were often attended by hundreds to thousands of white men, women, and children without fear of legal repercussions, and law enforcement frequently failed to intervene to prevent lynchings. Local, state, and federal officials tolerated, and sometimes encouraged and participated in, these lawless killings of Black women. men, and children, especially by granting impunity to mob participants who rarely faced criminal or communal consequences for their lawlessness. This sent the clear message that Black people had no protection from local officials and police. Although the names and stories of many victims may never be known, at least 120 racial terror lynchings have been documented in North Carolina, including at least three in Buncombe County.,
The Lynching of Bob Brackett. On August 11, 1897, Bob Brackett, a Black man, was lynched by a mob of at least 1.000 white people in Reems Creek Township. Mr. Brackett was a traveling laborer working in the Asheville, North Carolina area. On August 8, 1897, a white woman from Weaverville reported an assault. Race-based suspicion was immediately directed towards Black men in the area. On August 10, despite a lack of evidence and no investigation, a mob of white men seized Mr. Brackett at the home of a local reverend in nearby Barnardsville, and Mr. Brackett was detained in the Buncombe County Jail in Asheville. An angry white mob stormed the jail, only to discover that the sheriff had taken Mr. Brackett on the train to Raleigh. Determined to lynch Mr. Brackett, the mob abducted him from the sheriff at the Terrell train station and marched him approximately 12 miles by foot towards the location of the reported attack. Before making it to Weaverville, the mob of at least 1,000 lynched Mr. Brackett on the grounds of the Hemphill School. During this era, unfound suspicion was regularly directed at African Americans, who were burdened with a presumption of quilt that made them vulnerable to lawless white mob violence, especially when a white woman reported an assault. Racial terror lynchings were bold acts to maintain white domination, and local officials granted impunity to mob participants. No one was ever held accountable for the lynching of Bob Brackett.
Lynching in America
Between 1865 and 1950, thousands of African Americans were victims of mob violence and racial terror lynching across the United States. Following the Civil War, white Southerners fiercely resisted equal rights for African Americans and sought to uphold an ideology of white supremacy through intimidation and fatal violence. Lynching emerged as the most public and notorious form of racial terrorism, intended to terrorize the entire Black community with arbitrary and unpredictable mob violence. Many Black people were pulled out of jails or given over to mobs by law enforcement officials who were legally required to protect them. Public spectacle lynchings, like the lynching of Bob Brackett, were often attended by hundreds to thousands of white men, women, and children without fear of legal repercussions, and law enforcement frequently failed to intervene to prevent lynchings. Local, state, and federal officials tolerated—and sometimes encouraged and participated in—these lawless killings of Black women. men, and children, especially by granting impunity to mob participants who rarely faced criminal or communal consequences for their lawlessness. This sent the clear message that Black people had no protection from local officials and police. Although the names and stories of many victims may never
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be known, at least 120 racial terror lynchings have been documented in North Carolina, including at least three in Buncombe County.
The Lynching of Bob Brackett
On August 11, 1897, Bob Brackett, a Black man, was lynched by a mob of at least 1.000 white people in Reems Creek Township. Mr. Brackett was a traveling laborer working in the Asheville, North Carolina area. On August 8, 1897, a white woman from Weaverville reported an assault. Race-based suspicion was immediately directed towards Black men in the area. On August 10, despite a lack of evidence and no investigation, a mob of white men seized Mr. Brackett at the home of a local reverend in nearby Barnardsville, and Mr. Brackett was detained in the Buncombe County Jail in Asheville. An angry white mob stormed the jail, only to discover that the sheriff had taken Mr. Brackett on the train to Raleigh. Determined to lynch Mr. Brackett, the mob abducted him from the sheriff at the Terrell train station and marched him approximately 12 miles by foot towards the location of the reported attack. Before making it to Weaverville, the mob of at least 1,000 lynched Mr. Brackett on the grounds of the Hemphill School. During this era, unfound suspicion was regularly directed at African Americans, who were burdened with a presumption of quilt that made them vulnerable to lawless white mob violence, especially
Photographed By Dave W, August 27, 2022
2. The Lynching of Bob Brackett Marker
when a white woman reported an assault. Racial terror lynchings were bold acts to maintain white domination, and local officials granted impunity to mob participants. No one was ever held accountable for the lynching of Bob Brackett.
Erected 2021 by Equal Justice Inititive, Buncombe Community Remembrance Project.
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 August 11, 1897.
Location. 35° 35.573′ N, 82° 33.02′ W. Marker is in Asheville, North Carolina, in Buncombe County. Marker is at the intersection of South Market Street and Sycamore Street, on the right when traveling south on South Market Street. Located in Triangle Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 56 S Market St, Asheville NC 28801, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on December 27, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 31, 2022, by Dave W of Co, Colorado. This page has been viewed 441 times since then and 93 times this year. Last updated on November 27, 2023, by Gianluca De Fazio of Harrisonburg, Virginia. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on August 31, 2022, by Dave W of Co, Colorado. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
