Old Southwest in Roanoke, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Lynching in America ⎯⎯⎯ The Lynching of Thomas Smith
Community Remembrance Project
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, October 5, 2022
1. Lynching in America (south side of marker)
Inscription.
Lynching in America
Thousands of Black people were the victims of racial terror lynching in the United States between 1877 and 1950. Lynching emerged as the most public and notorious form of racial terrorism and violence, intended to intimidate Black people and enforce racial hierarchy. Racial terror lynchings often included burnings and mutilation, sometimes in front of crowds numbering in the thousands. Many Black Americans were lynched following accusations of violating social customs, engaging in interracial relationships, or committing crimes, even when there was no evidence tying the accused to any offense. Black people accused of these alleged offenses often faced hostile suspicion and a presumption of guilt that made them vulnerable to white mob violence. In a system where lynchings regularly went unpunished and law enforcement did little to protect Black communities, white mobs acted as judge, jury, and executioner, killing Black men, women and children with no expectation of punishment. In turn, thousands of Black lives were lost based on unproven — and often false — claims of wrongdoing. In 1916, the NAACP reported
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that Roanoke officials knew that Mr. Smith was innocent and had let the actual assailant leave town based on a promise to never return. Although many victims of racial terror lynching will never be known, over 84 racial terror lynchings have been documented in Virginia with at least two victims in Roanoke County.
The Lynching of Thomas Smith
On September 21, 1893, a white mob lynched a young Black man named Thomas Smith in Roanoke, Virginia. The day before, Mr. Smith was accused of assaulting a white woman near the Roanoke City Market. During this era, Black people were burdened with a presumption of guilt that often led to hasty police action, which was regularly followed by lethal mob violence. Mr. Smith was arrested and placed in the city jail where a mob of at least 4,000 white people gathered. Aware of the impending violence, the Mayor of Roanoke summoned the local militia and police officers removed Mr. Smith from the jail. Though legally required to protect Mr. Smith, the officers removed Mr. Smith from the jail for only a few hours before they handed him over to the mob. Members of the mob dragged Mr. Smith to the corner
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, October 5, 2022
2. The Lynching of Thomas Smith (north side of marker)
of Franklin Road and Mountain Avenue where the hanged him from a hickory tree and riddled his body with bullets. The crowd of white people gathered at the site and cut off pieces of Mr. Smith’s clothing, the rope, and the tree to carry away as souvenirs. They then took Mr. Smith’s body nearby to the bank of the Roanoke River and burned his corpse atop a pile of wood in front of more than 4,000 cheering men, women, and children while Mr. Smith’s 15-year-old sister watched. Although thousands of spectators participated and many photographs were produced, no one was ever held accountable for the lynching of Thomas Smith.
Erected 2022 by Equal Justice Initiative, and Roanoke 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 date for this entry is September 21, 1893.
Location. 37° 15.939′ N, 79° 56.784′ W. Marker is in Roanoke, Virginia. It is in Old Southwest. It is on Franklin Road Southwest south of Mountain Avenue Southwest, on the right
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, October 5, 2022
3. Lynching in America Marker
(looking north • Franklin Road on right • Mountain Avenue in background)
when traveling south. Marker is located beside the sidewalk, near the southwest corner of the intersection. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Roanoke VA 24016, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Mountain Region and in Southwest Virginia. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Upper South. Globally, it is in 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.
The Roanoke Equal Justice Initiative has unveiled its first historical marker dedicated to honoring the victim of a lynching that happened in the city. Driving down Franklin Road SW, you’ll now see a new blue historical marker telling the story of Thomas Smith.The marker was unveiled exactly 129 years after Thomas Smith was lynched in Roanoke. “When people drive by and look at this, then they will know that we’re honoring, not accusing somebody, not hating somebody, but honoring the death of somebody that died horrifically.”
(Submitted on October 5, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 5, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 1,296 times since then and 93 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 5, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
