Winona in Montgomery County, Mississippi — The American South (East South Central)
Brutality in Winona
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Photographed by Mark Hilton, October 22, 2026
1. Brutality in Winona Marker
On June 9, 1963, at this location, the site of Staley's Café, six civil rights activists were arrested on their return from a voter education workshop. The activists were taken to the Montgomery County Jail at the corner of Oak Drive and Sterling Avenue, where four of them were brutally beaten. Winona law enforcement officials were tried in federal court in Oxford, Mississippi, that same year. All five men were acquitted by an all-white, all-male jury.
Brutality in Winona A Trailways bus carrying ten civil rights workers returning from a Southern Christian Leadership Conference voter education workshop in South Carolina stopped at this location shortly before 11 a.m. on Sunday, June 9, 1963. Six members of the group got off of the bus in Winona. Euvester Simpson and Ruth Davis attempted to use the “whites only” bathroom but were turned away. Annell Ponder, James West, Rosemary Freeman and June Johnson entered Staley's Café, which adjoined the bus depot. They took four stool seats next to the counter and were promptly refused service: "we don't serve ni—ers," they were rudely informed. Still seated, they were
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In the parking lot a crowd of Whites threatened violence. Ponder wrote down the license number of a patrol car, at which point the entire group was arrested and put in a car driven by State Highway Patrolman John Lutellas Basinger. Witnessing what was happening, Fannie Lou Hamer got off the bus and was quickly arrested. At the Montgomery County Jail, Ponder, Johnson, West and Hamer were savagely beaten and denied medical attention. Later that same day, Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee leader Lawrence Guyot came to bail out the group. He, too, was brutally beaten and then jailed.
The entire group was tried and convicted on June 11 for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. Several were forced to sign false confessions. The group was bailed out on June 12, the same day that Medgar Evers was murdered in his Jackson, Mississippi,
Photographed by Mark Hilton, October 22, 2026
2. Brutality in Winona Marker
On August 22, 1964, Fannie Lou Hamer shocked the nation with details of her Winona beating in a televised speech before the Credentials Committee at the Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, NJ. Hamer was testifying on behalf of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP), a parallel political party founded that spring. The MFDP was attempting to unseat the all-white Mississippi Democratic party delegation, who had refused to let Black men and women participate in its selection of delegates to the national convention. After several days of negotiations, the MFDP was offered two at-large seats by representatives from President Lyndon Johnson's administration. Mrs. Hamer famously replied to the offer, “We didn't come all this way for no two seats." Led by Hamer, Victoria
Photographed by Mark Hilton, October 22, 2026
3. Brutality in Winona Marker
Closeup of photos & captions.
Erected 2024 by Visit Mississippi, the Mississippi Humanities Council. (Marker Number 38.)
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 Freedom Trail series list. A significant historical date for this entry is June 9, 1963.
Location. 33° 28.998′ N, 89° 44.142′ W. Marker is in Winona, Mississippi, in Montgomery County. It is on North Applegate Street (U.S. 51) north of Summit Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 100 N Applegate St, Winona MS 38967, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Central Mississippi. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, and in the Mississippi Delta. 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
Photographed by Mark Hilton, October 22, 2026
4. Brutality in Winona Marker - Looking north on US-51.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Immanuel Episcopal Church (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Roebuck "Pops" Staples (about 600 feet away); George A. McLean (approx. ¼ mile away); Jefferson Davis Memorial Highway (approx. 0.3 miles away); Montgomery County Confederate Monument (approx. 0.4 miles away); Winona Confederate Monument (approx. 0.4 miles away); Winona Jail Site (approx. 0.4 miles away); The "Final Spike" (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Winona.
Also see . . . Brutality In Winona - Unveiling and Dedication: June 8, 2024. (Submitted on October 24, 2026, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)
Credits. This page was last revised on October 24, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 24, 2026, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 7 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 24, 2026, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.
