TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Kate Prince on Jan 14, 2020

The lynchings of two African Americans in Jackson during the late 1800s will be recognized with a historical marker on the Madison County courthouse lawn, AP News reports. The Madison County commission initially rejected the marker, but approved it in August thanks to efforts by the Jackson-Madison County Community Remembrance Project, led by University of Tennessee-Martin professor Cindy Boyles, other educators, private citizens, church leaders and the Equal Justice Initiative. The marker will recognize Eliza Woods, who was lynched on the courthouse lawn after being falsely accused of murder in 1886, and John Brown, who was removed from jail by a mob and lynched on the same lawn in 1891. A dedication ceremony for the marker will take place in April.