The Lynching of Lee Walker

The Lynching of Lee Walker (HM29TD)

Location: Memphis, TN 38105 Shelby County
Buy Tennessee State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 35° 9.484', W 90° 2.955'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 644 views
Inscription
A mob estimated at 3,000 people gathered near this spot on the night of July 22, 1893, with the intent of breaking into the Shelby County Jail and seizing Lee Walker, a black prisoner accused of attempting to rape a young white woman. Four days earlier, Mollie McCadden had reported that while horseback riding with her sister at Bond Station in northeast Shelby County, a young black man attempted to drag her off her horse and assault her. A search for the assailant began immediately. Newspapers described him as "the monster" and "the negro fiend." On July 21 Walker, who fit the assailant's description, was found and arrested at his parents home south of New Albany, Mississippi. Sheriff A. J. McLendon took Walker to the Shelby County Jail on the morning of July 22. After nightfall the mob began gathering and growing outside the jail, threatening to lynch Walker.
Reverse:
Resistance by law enforcement to these threats was minimal as the mob used a section of railroad rail to batter in the jail door and the iron cellblock gates confining the prisoners. Members of the mob dragged Walker from his cell, stripped him of his clothing, then beat and stabbed him as they took him outside. Two blocks north they hanged him from a telegraph pole. After Walker was dead, the mob burned his body, mutilated it for souvenirs, and



dragged the corpse to the courthouse. What remained of Walker's body was buried in a potter's field. A grand jury indicted Sheriff McLendon, two police captains, a deputy sheriff, and several mob leaders in the lynching. However, prosecutors dropped the charges after they were unable to seat a jury. Neither Mollie McCadden nor her sister had an opportunity to identify Walker as the assailant.
Details
HM NumberHM29TD
Tags
Year Placed2018
Placed ByThe Lynching Sites Project of Memphis, the National Park Service, and the Shelby County Historical Commission
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Friday, July 27th, 2018 at 10:01am PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)15S E 768782 N 3894559
Decimal Degrees35.15806667, -90.04925000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 35° 9.484', W 90° 2.955'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds35° 9' 29.04" N, 90° 2' 57.3" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)901
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 477 N Front St, Memphis TN 38105, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. Is this marker part of a series?
  2. What historical period does the marker represent?
  3. What historical place does the marker represent?
  4. What type of marker is it?
  5. What class is the marker?
  6. What style is the marker?
  7. Does the marker have a number?
  8. This marker needs at least one picture.
  9. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  10. Is the marker in the median?