Dillsboro in Jackson County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Incarcerated Laborers

Photographed by Mark Parker, October 16, 2024

1. Incarcerated Laborers Marker

Inscription. Many arrested under Jim Crow laws; leased from the state to build WNC Railroad. Many died, including 19 who drowned near Cowee Tunnel, 1882.

Erected 2023 by North Carolina Office of Archives and History. (Marker Number Q-61.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Law Enforcement • Railroads & Streetcars. In addition, it is included in the North Carolina Division of Archives and History series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1882.

Location. 35° 22.126′ N, 83° 15.147′ W. Marker is in Dillsboro, North Carolina, in Jackson County. It is on U.S. 23/441 south of Haywood Road, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 611 Haywood Rd, Sylva NC 28779, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Carolina’s and he Mountains in the Golden Corner. It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Dan K. Moore (approx. 1.3 miles away); Jackson County War Monument (approx. 1.4 miles away); To our Valiant Fathers (approx. 1.4 miles away); Jackson County Veterans Memorial (approx. 1½ miles away); Dr. Delos Dexter Hooper House (approx. 1½ miles away); Gertrude Dills McKee

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(approx. 1.6 miles away); Original Sylva Train Depot (approx. 1.7 miles away); Sylva Collegiate Institute (approx. 1.8 miles away).

Also see . . . The Part of History You've Always Skipped | Neoslavery.
Video posted on April 4, 2022 from the Knowing Better channel on YouTube about the history of Debt Slavery in the United States. It is a well-sourced channel that explains historical contexts for various contexts.

During the Jim Crow era, most states in the South passed laws that were almost exclusively enforced against Black men for crimes such as not being able to prove employment. These men were then leased by local governments to private companies to perform work. During World War II, the federal government went after states and municipalities that used this system of debt slavery, formally ending the practice of legal enslavement in 1942. (Submitted on October 17, 2024, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.)

Additional keywords. debt slavery

Incarcerated Laborers Marker looking north on US 23/441 towards intersection at Haywood Road image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Parker, October 16, 2024

2. Incarcerated Laborers Marker looking north on US 23/441 towards intersection at Haywood Road

Credits. This page was last revised on October 17, 2024. It was originally submitted on October 16, 2024, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. This page has been viewed 246 times since then and 28 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 16, 2024, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.