Central East Austin in Travis County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Lynching in America / Lynching in Travis County
Community Remembrance Project
Photographed By James Hulse, November 12, 2022
1. Lynching in America side of the Marker
Inscription.
Lynching in America, also, Lynching in Travis County. Community Remembrance Project.
Lynching in America. Thousands of black people were the victims of lynching and racial violence in the United States between 1877 and 1950. The lynching of African Americans during this era was a form of racial terrorism intended to intimidate black people and enforce racial hierarchy and segregation. Lynching was most prevalent in the South. After the Civil War, violent resistance to equal rights for African Americans and an ideology of white supremacy led to violent abuse of racial minorities and decades of political, social, and economic exploitation. Lynching became the most public and notorious form of terror and subordination. White mobs were usually permitted to engage in racial terror and brutal violence with impunity. Many black people were pulled out of jails or given over to mobs by law enforcement officials who were legally required to protect them. Terror lynchings often included burning and mutilation, sometimes in front of crowds numbering in the thousands. In response to this racial terror and violence, millions of black people fled the South and never returned, which deepened the anguish and pain of lynching. Many lynchings were not reported, and many names of lynching victims will never be known, but more than 330 racial terror lynchings of African Americans have been documented in Texas alone.,
Lynching in Travis County. Racial terror lynching plagued Texas and devastated African American communities for decades. On August 14, 1894, Travis County was the site of a triple lynching when a white mob seized a black woman and two black men from a small jail about thirty miles from Austin: According to news reports, the woman was a white family's nurse when their child died. Without evidence or investigation, the black nurse was accused of being responsible for the child's death, two black men were also arrested. Despite the absence of evidence to support any claim against the accused, a mob of armed white men abducted the three prisoners from the jail, tied them to stakes in a nearby field and riddled them with gunshots, killing all three. No one was held accountable for this violence and disregard for the rule of law. As frequently occurred, allegations by white people against black people were sufficient to create extraordinary violence. Law enforcement would not protect people of color which allowed these white mobs to terrorize African Americans throughout the region. Press coverage published as far away as Britain failed to name the three lynching victims, the town of their arrest, or provide details about the location of their lynching - but did state that the woman and two men were very likely innocent of any crime.
Lynching in America
Thousands of black people were the victims of lynching and racial violence in the United States between 1877 and 1950. The lynching of African Americans during this era was a form of racial terrorism intended to intimidate black people and enforce racial hierarchy and segregation. Lynching was most prevalent in the South. After the Civil War, violent resistance to equal rights for African Americans and an ideology of white supremacy led to violent abuse of racial minorities and decades of political, social, and economic exploitation. Lynching became the most public and notorious form of terror and subordination. White mobs were usually permitted to engage in racial terror and brutal violence with impunity. Many black people were pulled out of jails or given over to mobs by law enforcement officials who were legally required to protect them. Terror lynchings often included burning and mutilation, sometimes in front of crowds numbering in the thousands. In response to this racial terror and violence, millions of black people fled the South and never returned, which deepened the anguish and pain of lynching. Many lynchings were not reported, and many names of lynching victims will never be known, but more than 330 racial terror lynchings of African Americans have been documented in Texas alone.
Lynching
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in Travis County
Racial terror lynching plagued Texas and devastated African American communities for decades. On August 14, 1894, Travis County was the site of a triple lynching when a white mob seized a black woman and two black men from a small jail about thirty miles from Austin: According to news reports, the woman was a white family's nurse when their child died. Without evidence or investigation, the black nurse was accused of being responsible for the child's death, two black men were also arrested. Despite the absence of evidence to support any claim against the accused, a mob of armed white men abducted the three prisoners from the jail, tied them to stakes in a nearby field and riddled them with gunshots, killing all three. No one was held accountable for this violence and disregard for the rule of law. As frequently occurred, allegations by white people against black people were sufficient to create extraordinary violence. Law enforcement would not protect people of color which allowed these white mobs to terrorize African Americans throughout the region. Press coverage published as far away as Britain failed to name the three lynching victims, the town of their arrest, or provide details about the location of their lynching - but did state that the woman and two men were very likely innocent of any crime.
Erected
Photographed By James Hulse, August 29, 2022
2. Lynching in Travis County side of the Marker
2017 by Equal Justice Initiative and Travis 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 14, 1894.
Location. 30° 16.182′ N, 97° 43.561′ W. Marker is in Austin, Texas, in Travis County. It is in Central East Austin. Marker is at the intersection of San Bernard Street and Hackberry Street, on the right when traveling south on San Bernard Street. Located in front of the Wesley United Methodist Church, next to a Texas Historical Commission marker. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1164 San Bernard St, Austin TX 78702, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Lynching is the illegal killing of a person under the pretext of service to justice, race, or tradition. Though it often refers to hanging, the word became a generic term for any form of execution without due process of law.
(Submitted on September 2, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)
Photographed By James Hulse, August 29, 2022
4. The view of the Lynching in Travis County Marker in front of Wesley United Methodist Church
Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 1, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 645 times since then and 196 times this year. Photos:1. submitted on November 13, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 2, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.
