Poolesville in Montgomery County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Lynching of George W. Peck
⎯⎯⎯
Lynching in Maryland

Montgomery County Lynching Memorial Project

— Town of Poolesville —

Lynching of George W. Peck side of the marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), December 10, 2023

1. Lynching of George W. Peck side of the marker

Inscription. Lynching of George W. Peck
January 10, 1880. George W. Peck, a 22-year-old Black man who lived and worked in Beallsville, Maryland, was lynched near this site by a white mob in an act of racial terror. On the morning of January 10, 1880, Mr. Peck was accused of assaulting a white girl on the farm where he worked. A local constable arrested him and brought him to the Odd Fellows Hall in Poolesville. Throughout the day an angry crowd gathered but eventually dispersed after dark, only to reappear before midnight. The crows then seized Mr. Peck as he was being moved to another location. Securing a noose around his neck, the mob dragged Mr. Peck to a vacant lot across from the Poolesville Presbyterian Church. Denied his rights to judge and jury, he was hanged from a locust tree. The following morning, as parishioners arrived for Sunday services, Mr. Peck's body was finally cut down and buried unceremoniously in an unmarked grave. A jury of inquest found that Mr. Peck died "at the hands of parties unknown." In an act of solidarity, Black residents later reinterred his body in the consecrated grounds of a nearby African American

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churchyard. On November 3, 2019, inspired by the Equal Justice Initiative, the wider community gathered to collect soil from the site of Mr. Peck's lynching as a gesture of racial healing. Today, the community rekindles his story in the name of remembrance and reconciliation.

Lynching in Maryland Racial terror lynching claimed the lives of at least 6,500 Black people in the United States between 1865 and 1950. This created a legacy of injustice that can still be felt today. Though Maryland remained in the Union, more than 87,000 Black people were enslaved in the state when the Civil War began in 1861. As the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 only applied to states in rebellion, enslavers in Maryland sought to retain their human property as the reward for their loyalty. Maryland amended its constitution to abolish slavery on November 1, 1864. After the war, in the Reconstruction Era, racial violence was used nationwide to intimidate Black people and to reinforce racial hierarchy and segregation. Lynch mobs disregarded the legal system, often abducting their victims from jails, prisons, and courtrooms. The police did little to stop

Lynching in Maryland side of the marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), December 10, 2023

2. Lynching in Maryland side of the marker

the violence. In fact, the mobs sometimes hanged, shot, burned, or mutilated their victims in front of crowds numbering in the thousands. Meanwhile, laws to protect Black people from discrimination and to provide them with security were rarely enforced. Although many victims remain unknown, at least 38 racial terror lynchings have been documented in Maryland. Of these, three took place in Montgomery County: Mr. George Peck in 1880 in Poolesville, Mr. John Diggs-Dorsey in 1880 in Rockville, and Mr. Sidney Randolph in 1896 in Rockville.

Erected 2023 by The Montgomery County Lynching Memorial Project (MoCoLMP).

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Law Enforcement. A significant historical date for this entry is January 10, 1880.

Location. 39° 8.805′ N, 77° 24.996′ W. Marker is in Poolesville, Maryland, in Montgomery County. It is on Elgin Road (Maryland Route 109) just north of Fisher Avenue ( Route 107), on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 17716 Elgin Rd, Poolesville MD 20837, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally,

Lynching of George W. Peck / Lynching in Maryland Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), December 10, 2023

3. Lynching of George W. Peck / Lynching in Maryland Marker

this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies

and also the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Welcome to Poolesville (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Old Bank Building (about 300 feet away); John Poole House (about 400 feet away); The Civil War at Poolesville (about 400 feet away); Historic Poolesville (about 700 feet away); John Hall House (about 800 feet away); St. Peter's Church (about 800 feet away); a different marker also named Welcome to Poolesville (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Poolesville.

Other markers no longer nearby. Poolesville (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been confirmed missing); a different marker also named Poolesville (was about 400 feet away but has been permanently removed).

More about this marker. This marker

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was erected with the support of the town of Poolesville, MD.

Additional commentary.
1. About the marker
While this marker is "inspired by the Equal Justice Initiative", as mentioned on the front of the marker, it does not claim to be erected as part of the Equal Justice Initiative project of erecting historical markers.

— Submitted December 10, 2023, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.

2. Lynchings of Mr. Sidney Randolph (1896) & Mr. John Diggs-Dorsey (1880) in Rockville, MD
Memorial markers for these two men can be found in front of the County Council Office Building on Maryland Avenue in Rockville, MD. These markers were erected by the Montgomery County Commission on Remembrance and Reconciliation in November 2023. Note To Editor only visible by Contributor and editor

— Submitted January 24, 2025, by Neile Whitney of Poolesville, Maryland.

Credits. This page was last revised on January 31, 2025. It was originally submitted on December 10, 2023, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 787 times since then and 72 times this year. Last updated on January 24, 2025, by Neile Whitney of Poolesville, Maryland. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on December 10, 2023, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.

Lynching of George W. Peck⎯⎯⎯Lynching in Maryland

Montgomery County Lynching Memorial Project

— Town of Poolesville —

Lynching of George W. Peck
⎯⎯⎯
Lynching in Maryland