Ellisville in Jones County, Mississippi — The American South (East South Central)
Lynching of John Hartfield
Photographed by Mark Hilton, October 23, 2025
1. Lynching of John Hartfield Marker
On June 26, 1919, John Hartfield, an African American, was lynched in Ellisville allegedly for raping his White girlfriend. After being apprehended by the county sheriff, he was turned over to a mob. The lynching was announced in advance by newspapers, and thousands of spectators watched as Hartfield was hanged from a sweet gum tree and his body riddled with bullets. After being taken down, parts of his body and postcards of the killing were sold as souvenirs and the remains burned.
Erected 2022 by Mississippi Department of Archives and History.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Law Enforcement. A significant historical date for this entry is June 26, 1919.
Location. 31° 36.203′ N, 89° 11.947′ W. Marker is in Ellisville, Mississippi, in Jones County. It is at the intersection of U.S. 11 and Main Street, on the right when traveling north on U.S. 11. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Ellisville MS 39437, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Mississippi’s Pine Belt. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, and in the Piney Woods. 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 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Jones County Courthouse (approx. Ό mile away); Amos Deason Home (approx. half a mile away); Mississippi National Guard Korean War Memorial (approx. half a mile away); JCJC Bobcats Defy Segregation
this page online
More about this marker. The marker was manufactured in 2022, but it was unveiled in January 2023.
Also see . . . Lynching of John Hartfield Wikipedia article. (Submitted on October 25, 2025, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)
Photographed by Mark Hilton, October 23, 2025
2. Lynching of John Hartfield Marker
View looking north on U.S. Highway 11.
Credits. This page was last revised on October 27, 2025. It was originally submitted on October 25, 2025, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 121 times since then and 42 times this year. Last updated on October 26, 2025, by Gianluca De Fazio of Harrisonburg, Virginia. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 25, 2025, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
