Thomas Washington Lynched

Thomas Washington, an African American man, was lynched on 23 March 1896 after he was accused of attempting to assault the young daughter of a prominent white citizen. A boy found his body hanging from a tree about 1/8 mile southwest of here, and a coroner’s jury did not identify the killers. His body was buried near the tree and was later given a proper burial by relatives. This was the only documented lynching in Essex County. The case drew publicity across the state, but no one was ever brought to justice. More than 4,000 lynchings took place in the U.S. between 1877 and 1950, and more than 100 people, primarily African American men, were lynched in Virginia.

Virginia · United States