Decatur in Macon County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

The Lynching of Samuel J. Bush

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, March 29, 2019

1. The Lynching of Samuel J. Bush Marker

Inscription. On June 3, 1893, a mob of 1,500 white people lynched a 30-year-old Black man named Samuel J. Bush across from the courthouse lawn in Decatur, Illinois. Mr. Bush was accused of assaulting two white women - one from Mt. Zion, a “sundown town”. He was charged and held at the Macon County Courthouse. Before he had a chance to defend himself in a court of law, a mob from Mt. Zion stormed the courthouse, and abducted him. Mr. Bush proclaimed, “Gentlemen, you are killing an innocent man.” The mob then dragged Mr. Bush here, at the intersection of Water & Wood St. According to newspapers he knelt to pray, calling on “Jesus to come and take his soul and forgive the men who were murdering him.” The mob then forced a naked Mr. Bush on top of a carriage and hanged him from a utility pole. Following his lynching, pieces of rope used to hang Mr. Bush were distributed to the crowd as “souvenirs,” and his body was made spectacle, displayed in a glass window for the masses of people who came to view his corpse. None of the perpetrators faced any legal consequences for the murder of Samuel J. Bush. Mr. Bush's murder occurred

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during a time when charges of assault against Black people, even when made with unsubstantiated evidence, regularly aroused violent white mobs.

Erected 2023 by Affordable Activism • Walk It like We Talk It • The William G. Pomeroy Foundation • The Illinois State Historical Society.

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 Illinois State Historical Society series list. A significant historical date for this entry is June 3, 1893.

Location. 39° 50.414′ N, 88° 57.255′ W. Marker is in Decatur, Illinois, in Macon County. It is at the intersection of East Wood Street and South Water Street, on the right when traveling east on East Wood Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Decatur IL 62523, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Central Illinois.

It is also in the American Midwest

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, July 8, 2024

2. The Lynching of Samuel J. Bush Marker

the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Dedicated to All Veterans (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Wake Up, Lincoln! (about 500 feet away); Coming to Illinois (about 600 feet away); Finding the Biggest Man (about 600 feet away); Lincoln on the Circuit (about 600 feet away); Abraham Lincoln's First Political Speech (about 600 feet away); Lincoln's First Speech (about 600 feet away); Let Us All Be United (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Decatur.

Also see . . .
1. "Join hands and hearts with law and order" (PDF). The 1893 lynching of Samuel J. Bush and the response of Decatur's African American community. (Sundiata Keita Cha-jua, Illinois Historical Journal, 1990 via Yumpu) (Submitted on August 7, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

2. Lynching of Samuel J. Bush. While in prison, Bush penned letters to his sisters, and to a cousin, Louis Collins, which were published in the Decatur Daily Republican. Bush

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wrote, “Now is the time of need … Send the money to this Lawyer & he will clear me, if not I expect to be Linched.” (Wikipedia) (Submitted on August 7, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Credits. This page was last revised on August 7, 2024. It was originally submitted on August 7, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 328 times since then and 40 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 7, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.