East Bank in Terre Haute in Vigo County, Indiana — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Lynching in America / Facing Injustice
Lynching of George Ward in Vigo County
— Community Remembrance Project —
Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, May 28, 2023
1. Lynching in America side of marker
Inscription.
Lynching in America, also, Facing Injustice. Lynching of George Ward in Vigo County.
Lynching in America. Following the Civil War, resistance to rights and equality for African Americans and an ideology of white supremacy led to fatal violence against Black women, men, and children. Violence spread throughout the country, including to states like Indiana, where anti-Emancipation messaging had been persuasive in the 1862 elections during the Civil War. Lynching emerged as the most public and notorious form of racial terrorism and violence, intended to intimidate Black people and enforce racial hierarchy and segregation. Thousands of Black people were the victims of racial terror lynching in the United States between 1865 and 1950. Many African Americans were lynched following accusations of violating social customs or committing crimes, even when there was no evidence tying the accused to any offense. Black people faced hostile suspicion and a presumption of guilt that made them vulnerable to white mob violence and lynching. White mobs regularly displayed complete disregard for the legal system, seizing their victims from homes, public places, jails, prisons, courtrooms, or even out of police hands without fear of legal repercussions. Racial terror lynchings often included burnings and mutilation, sometimes in front of crowds numbering in the thousands. Although many victims of racial terror lynching will never be known, over 300 racial terror lynchings have been documented in non-Southern states, including at least 18 in Indiana.,
Facing Injustice Lynching of George Ward in Vigo County . On February 26, 1901, a white mob lynched George Ward, an African American husband and father of two near this site at the old Wabash River Wagon Bridge. The day prior, a white woman had been shot and stabbed in the woods near Terre Haute and died later that evening. Fear and anger gripped the community. Though there were no witnesses to the crime, Mr. Ward was arrested and reports of an alleged confession began to circulate. Less than an hour after taking him into custody, a white mob formed outside the jail. Around noon, the mob broke into the jail using a battering ram, seized Mr. Ward, and beat him violently until he collapsed. The mob then dragged Mr. Ward to the bridge and hanged him from a trestle using a noose made of rope and chain. Unsatisfied, the mob, “in morbid fury,” cut down and burned Mr. Ward's body for hours on the west riverbank. At least 1000 white men, women, and children came to watch the spectacle lynching. Some collected fragments of Mr. Ward's remains as souvenirs. Terrorized by the lynching, many members of Terre Haute's Black community fled in fear of further violence. In the end, none of the perpetrators or spectators of George Ward's lynching were held accountable before the law or the community. Failure to hold mobs accountable and silence about racial terror fostered an era of violent Jim Crow segregation and racial bias. This era has a continuing legacy that many contend must be addressed today.
Lynching in America
Following the Civil War, resistance to rights and equality for African
Americans and an ideology of white supremacy led to fatal violence
against Black women, men, and children. Violence spread throughout
the country, including to states like Indiana, where anti-Emancipation
messaging had been persuasive in the 1862 elections during the Civil
War. Lynching emerged as the most public and notorious form of racial
terrorism and violence, intended to intimidate Black people and enforce
racial hierarchy and segregation. Thousands of Black people were the
victims of racial terror lynching in the United States between 1865
and 1950. Many African Americans were lynched following accusations
of violating social customs or committing crimes, even when there was
no evidence tying the accused to any offense. Black people faced hostile
suspicion and a presumption of guilt that made them vulnerable to white
mob violence and lynching. White mobs regularly displayed complete
disregard for the legal system, seizing their victims from homes, public
places, jails, prisons, courtrooms, or even out of police hands without
fear of legal repercussions. Racial terror lynchings often included
burnings and mutilation, sometimes in front of crowds numbering in
the thousands. Although many victims of
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racial terror lynching will
never be known, over 300 racial terror lynchings have been documented
in non-Southern states, including at least 18 in Indiana.
Facing Injustice
Lynching of George Ward in Vigo County
On February 26, 1901, a white mob lynched George Ward, an African American husband and father of two near this site at the old Wabash River
Wagon Bridge. The day prior, a white woman had been shot and stabbed
in the woods near Terre Haute and died later that evening. Fear and anger
gripped the community. Though there were no witnesses to the crime,
Mr. Ward was arrested and reports of an alleged confession began to
circulate. Less than an hour after taking him into custody, a white mob
formed outside the jail. Around noon, the mob broke into the jail using
a battering ram, seized Mr. Ward, and beat him violently until he collapsed.
The mob then dragged Mr. Ward to the bridge and hanged him from a trestle
using a noose made of rope and chain. Unsatisfied, the mob, “in morbid
fury,” cut down and burned Mr. Ward's body for hours on the west riverbank.
At least 1000 white men, women, and children came to watch the spectacle
lynching. Some collected fragments of Mr. Ward's remains as souvenirs.
Terrorized by the lynching, many members of Terre Haute's Black community
fled in fear of further violence. In the end, none
Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, May 28, 2023
2. Facing Injustice side of marker
of the perpetrators or
spectators of George Ward's lynching were held accountable before the law
or the community. Failure to hold mobs accountable and silence about racial
terror fostered an era of violent Jim Crow segregation and racial bias. This
era has a continuing legacy that many contend must be addressed today.
Erected 2021 by Equal Justice Initiative Facing Injustice 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 February 26, 1901.
Location. 39° 27.921′ N, 87° 25.119′ W. Marker is in Terre Haute, Indiana, in Vigo County. It is in East Bank. Marker is on Dresser Drive, ¼ mile north of Oak Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Terre Haute IN 47807, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on October 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 16, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 130 times since then and 69 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on June 16, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 3. submitted on June 19, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
