Gadsden in Etowah County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
Lynching in America / The Lynching of Bunk Richardson
Community Remembrance Project
Photographed By Mark Hilton, February 20, 2021
1. Lynching in America Marker
Inscription.
Lynching in America, also, The Lynching of Bunk Richardson. Community Remembrance Project.
Lynching in America.. Thousands of Black people were the victims of lynching and racial violence in the United States between 1877 and 1950. The lynching of African Americans during this era was a form of racial terrorism intended to intimidate Black people and enforce racial hierarchy and segregation. Lynching was most prevalent in the South. After the Civil War, violent resistance to equal rights for African Americans and an ideology of white supremacy led to violent abuse of racial minorities and decades of political, social, and economic exploitation. Lynching became the most public and notorious form of terror and subordination. White mobs were usually permitted to engage in racial terror and brutal violence with impunity. Many Black people were pulled out of jails or given over to mobs by law enforcement officials who were legally required to protect them. Terror lynchings often included burning and mutilation, sometimes in front of crowds numbering in the thousands. In response to this racial terror and violence, millions of Black people fled the South and could never return, which deepened the anguish and pain of lynching. Many of the names of lynching victims were not recorded and will never be known, but over 350 documented lynchings took place in Alabama alone.,
The Lynching of Bunk Richardson. . In the middle of the night on February 11, 1906, a large white mob abducted Bunk Richardson from the Etowah County Jail in Gadsden and lynched him. In July 1905, three men were accused of rape and murder of a white woman. Bunk Richardson was not involved in the crime but knew one of the suspects and was also arrested. After the four were taken to the jail in Gadsden, a mob of 300 people gathered to lynch the suspects. The mob was successfully held back and the four prisoners taken to Jefferson County the following day. Two of the men, Jack Hunter and Vance Gardner, were later tried, convicted, and executed in Gadsden for the crime. The third, Will Johnson, was also convicted and sentenced to death, but Alabama Governor William Jelks doubted Mr. Johnson’s guilt and commuted his sentence to life in prison. Mr. Johnson was sent back to Jefferson County to serve his sentence. The commutation of Will Johnson’s sentence sparked outrage in Gadsden, and a mob responded by seizing Bunk Richardson from the jail although he had never been charged with the crime. The mob dragged Mr. Richardson down the street and hung him from the train trestles crossing over the Coosa River. Mr. Richardson’s relatives were forced to leave town and abandon thriving businesses while the entire black community lived in fear. No one was ever charged for the lynching of Bunk Richardson.
Lynching in America.
Thousands of Black people were the victims of lynching and racial violence in the United States between 1877 and 1950. The lynching of African Americans during this era was a form of racial terrorism intended to intimidate Black people and enforce racial hierarchy and segregation.
Lynching was most prevalent in the South. After the Civil War, violent resistance to equal rights for African Americans and an ideology of white supremacy led to violent abuse of racial minorities and decades of political, social, and economic exploitation. Lynching became the most public and notorious form of terror and subordination. White mobs were usually permitted to engage in racial terror and brutal violence with impunity. Many Black people were pulled out of jails or given over to mobs by law enforcement officials who were legally required to protect them. Terror lynchings often included burning and mutilation, sometimes in front of crowds numbering in the thousands. In response to this racial terror and violence, millions of Black people fled the South and could never return, which deepened the anguish and pain of lynching. Many of the names of lynching victims were not recorded and will never be known, but over 350 documented lynchings took place in Alabama alone.
The Lynching
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of Bunk Richardson.
In the middle of the night on February 11, 1906, a large white mob abducted Bunk Richardson from the Etowah County Jail in Gadsden and lynched him. In July 1905, three men were accused of rape and murder of a white woman. Bunk Richardson was not involved in the crime but knew one of the suspects and was also arrested. After the four were taken to the jail in Gadsden, a mob of 300 people gathered to lynch the suspects. The mob was successfully held back and the four prisoners taken to Jefferson County the following day. Two of the men, Jack Hunter and Vance Gardner, were later tried, convicted, and executed in Gadsden for the crime. The third, Will Johnson, was also convicted and sentenced to death, but Alabama Governor William Jelks doubted Mr. Johnson’s guilt and commuted his sentence to life in prison. Mr. Johnson was sent back to Jefferson County to serve his sentence. The commutation of Will Johnson’s sentence sparked outrage in Gadsden, and a mob responded by seizing Bunk Richardson from the jail although he had never been charged with the crime. The mob dragged Mr. Richardson down the street and hung him from the train trestles crossing over the Coosa River. Mr. Richardson’s relatives were forced to leave town and abandon thriving businesses while the entire black community lived in fear. No one was ever charged for the lynching of Bunk
Photographed By Leah Tibbs, May 26, 2019
2. The Lynching of Bunk Richardson Marker
Richardson.
Erected 2016 by Equal Justice Initiative.
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 Lynching in America series list. A significant historical date for this entry is February 11, 1906.
Location. 34° 0.73′ N, 85° 59.946′ W. Marker is in Gadsden, Alabama, in Etowah County. Marker is at the intersection of North 1st Street and Locust Street, on the right when traveling north on North 1st Street. Just west of railroad bridge over Coosa River, where lynching took place. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Gadsden AL 35901, United States of America. Touch for directions.
. (Submitted on May 27, 2019, by David Tibbs of Resaca, Georgia.)
Photographed By Mark Hilton, February 20, 2021
4. Current railroad trestle bridge across the Coosa River.
Can be seen just East from marker.
5. The Lynching of Bunk Richardson Marker prior to installation
Photographed By Mark Hilton, April 6, 2024
6. The Lynching of Bunk Richardson replica marker.
A Replica marker of one side is located at the Equal Justice Initiatives' National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama. The Equal Justice Initiative supports efforts to locally memorialize documented victims of racial violence and to educate communities about the history of racial injustice.
Credits. This page was last revised on April 6, 2024. It was originally submitted on April 26, 2018, by Daniel Eisenberg of Boca Raton, Florida. This page has been viewed 1,279 times since then and 102 times this year. Photos:1. submitted on February 20, 2021, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. 2, 3. submitted on May 27, 2019, by David Tibbs of Resaca, Georgia. 4. submitted on February 20, 2021, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. 5. submitted on April 26, 2018, by Daniel Eisenberg of Boca Raton, Florida. 6. submitted on April 6, 2024, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
