Charlotte Harris Lynched, 6 March 1878
Posted by: 
Markerman62
N 38° 26.950 W 078° 52.135
17S E 685966 N 4257804
Located on the courthouse lawn in Harrisonburg
Waymark Code: WM16QV5
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 09/19/2022
Views: 0
About a dozen disguised people took Charlotte Harris from the custody of jailers in eastern Rockingham County on the night of 6 March 1878 and hanged her from a tree approximately 13 miles southeast of here. This is the only documented lynching of an African American woman in Virginia, and it received nationwide attention. A grand jury that met here failed to identify any of the lynchers. Harris had been accused of inciting a young African American man to burn the barn of a white farmer. This man was later acquitted on all charges. More than 4,000 lynchings took place in the United States between 1877 and 1950; more than 100 people, primarily African American men, were lynched in Virginia.
Department of Historic Resources, 2020
Marker Number: A-131
Marker Title: Charlotte Harris Lynched, 6 March 1878
Marker Location: Located at South Main Street (US 11) and Court Square (US 33), Harrisonburg
County or Independent City: Harrisonburg
Web Site: Not listed
Marker Program Sponsor: Not listed
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