Brookhaven in Lincoln County, Mississippi — The American South (East South Central)
Murder of Lamar Smith
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 23, 2025
1. Murder of Lamar Smith Marker
On August 13, 1955, Lamar Smith, a 63-year-old African American farmer and World War I veteran, was murdered in broad daylight on the courthouse lawn while encouraging African Americans to vote. Smith had been threatened for organizing Black voters and was killed in front of dozens of witnesses. An all-white grand jury failed to indict the three White men arrested for the murder after witnesses refused to testify. No one was ever prosecuted for Smiths murder.
Erected 2023 by Mississippi Department of Archives and History.
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 Mississippi State Historical Marker Program series list. A significant historical date for this entry is August 13, 1955.
Location. 31° 34.587′ N, 90° 26.494′ W. Marker is in Brookhaven, Mississippi, in Lincoln County. It is at the intersection of South 1st Street and East Chickasaw Street, on the right when traveling north on South 1st Street. The marker is mounted near the Lincoln County Courthouse west/front entrance. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 301 South 1st Street, Brookhaven MS 39601, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Southwest Mississippi and in Natchez Trace Corridor. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Deep South. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, 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 Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this
this page online
Also see . . . Lamar Ditney Smith (Wikipedia).
Excerpt: Lamar Smith was a voting rights activist and a member of the Regional Council of Negro Leadership (RCNL). On August 2, he voted in the primary and helped get others out to vote. There was a run-off primary scheduled for August 23. On August 13, Smith was at the courthouse helping other African-American voters to fill out absentee ballots so they could vote in the runoff without exposing themselves to violence at the polls. He was shot to death in front of the courthouse in Brookhaven, Lincoln County, at around 10 a.m.(Submitted on June 25, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Contemporary reports say there were at least 30 white witnesses, including the local sheriff, who saw a white man covered with blood leaving the scene. In spite of a public effort by prosecutor E. C.Barlow to obtain testimony, no witnesses would come forward.Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 23, 20252. Murder of Lamar Smith MarkerLooking southeast from South 1st Street; the Lincoln County Courthouse is in the left background.
Three white men, Noah Smith, Mack Smith, and Charles Falvey, were arrested in connection with Smith's murder. On September 13, 1955, an all-white Brookhaven grand jury composed of twenty men failed to return any indictments. Noting that all three of the accused were deceased, the US Department of Justice Civil Rights Division closed the civil rights case in 2016.
In 2005, filmmaker Keith Beauchamp created a documentary, Murder in Black and White of Smith's murder.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 23, 2025
3. Murder of Lamar Smith Marker
Looking northeast from South 1st Street; the Lincoln County Courthouse is in the right background.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 25, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 24, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 471 times since then and 104 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 24, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
